


The Magic of an Unexpected Crush

by mitzi_uwu_trash



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games)
Genre: Amifina, F/F, Raffami, This is what I did instead of classwork partially, aaaaaaaa, cutesy girlfriends probably, magic is the foundation of this plot, not super accurate to canon Raffina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-02-10 14:58:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18662707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitzi_uwu_trash/pseuds/mitzi_uwu_trash
Summary: Raffina realizes she is in love with Amitie after they engage in Puyo battles like always. And guess what, that’s perfectly valid. They do things people in love do.Teen rated because: suggestive themes, occasional profanity





	1. Duel of Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Also, Amitie is 14 and Raffina is almost 15 starting in the first chapter. Just wanna mention that. I do not condone mature relationships between people this young (since there is some suggestive content here in the future). Teens just tend to have these sort of feelings, and I am going to acknowledge it.
> 
> (May 4, 2019) Upon a visitation of Raffina’s Puyo Puyo Tetris appearances, I realize I may have butchered her personality compared to canon. It’s too late for me to change it sooooo. Yeah
> 
> (June 11, 2019) I just want to say that this is in a more episodic format for the most part. Plot points do carry over through chapters sometimes, but it’s more one off things I feel like writing clustered together.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raffina kicks Amitie’s butt at Puyo and gets shocked at Amitie actually tolerating her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally wrote this part instead of doing class work because I’m useless. I hope someone likes this mess

Raffina stood in the play yard of Primp Magic School, opposite from her rival, Amitie. They wanted to have a practice magic duel; however, their reasons for doing so were as different as night and day. Raffina had her honor to defend. Her parents would be beyond disappointed to hear that their wonderful daughter had been far outclassed by a slow plebeian. She couldn’t afford the embarrassment losing to Amitie would bring her. Amitie’s motivation was shrouded in fog. Although, Raffina was fairly confident that Amitie’s honor was not the reason she was fighting. Raffina began to chain together the Puyo within her vision. It wasn’t easy in the slightest, but the devastating humiliation, if she didn’t get her chain long enough, was well worth the painful concentration to avoid. Raffina waited patiently after stacking her chain high enough to annihilate Amitie. Setting it off too early could mean the difference between landslide victory or landslide defeat. Amitie finally broke the tension by setting off her own chain. It was intimidating to Raffina. After all, Amitie was no weak opponent. She set her own off to counter Amitie’s. One, two, five, ten. The numbers just seemed to grow and grow. The chains landed at thirteen for Amitie and fourteen for Raffina. The magic the chain generated surged strongly through Raffina’s slender body.

“Bayoen!” Amitie exclaimed cheerfully.

“Rainbow Deluxe!” Raffina yelled back.

Before Amitie’s magic attack hit Raffina, a brightly colored rainbow resulting from a distant roundhouse kick (not actually close to hitting Amitie, just to activate the pouch’s effect)collided into the attack and knocked Amitie back. Sparks flew from the contact of both attacks, and Raffina’s potent attack caused Amitie to lose the encounter. She outdid Amitie yet again. It still felt wonderful to Raffina every time she saw Amitie’s cute little pouty expression as Amitie muttered “good game” to be polite. Amitie walked up to Raffina and shook Raffina’s hand. Amitie’s hand was warm, and the skin on her palms was soft like silk. She had never touched Amitie's hand before then, but it felt pleasant to do so now. Raffina shook off the fuzzy feeling in her head and scoffed at Amitie.

“So I won again, huh?” Raffina remarked. “What’s it now, 14 to 3? Oh right, I don’t _really_ need to keep track of my superiority, given that I’ve _clearly_ put it on display.”

“Yeah, you really are pretty good!” Amitie beamed. “Let’s play again together sometime!”

“You really are inferi- wait, you really thought I did well?” Raffina asked. “Like, you _aren’t_ just bitter about losing, so you’re gonna try kissing up to me?”

“No! I really thought you did well managing to match all those Puyo! I should work on focusing more on matching fast.”

Amitie actually liked her? Was this really true? After the massive scumbag she knows she’s been for all this time, Amitie still admires her skill despite that? No, it must have been her ignorance. There is no way Amitie could ever value Raffina after learning of her reliance on the pouch. Even if it was just ignorance, it still felt good to be genuinely admired by her. She could never mention the pouch if she wanted this illusion to remain. She had to enjoy this lie while it lasted.

“Of course you’d respect a skilled magic user such as myself,” Raffina added snarkily. “You’d probably need a week’s worth of practice just to compare with me at medium focus such as how I was today!”

“Oh, I’d love to spend time practicing with you, Raffina! I bet that would be super-duper fun!”

“Alright then, but you’ll get your butt kicked several times over!”

Raffina knew Amitie was basically already on her skill level. One more Puyo group added, and they would have tied. Raffina wasn’t so stupid as to think she was so much better than Amitie for what was essentially a slight speed difference. She couldn’t let anyone think she doubted herself, or she would be surely mocked and ridiculed for being the hypocrite loser she was. At least her ego was fake, unlike the narcissistic Klug. That idiot really needs to stop bragging about his grades.

The day had drawn to a close as Raffina relaxed on her feathery bed. She peeled back the curtains above her headboard to see the glistening of the setting sun. Ignoring her crippling insecurity, life was good. Amitie didn’t want her head on a rack like a hunted and stuffed deer. Klug hadn’t bothered her all day. She won a magic match. She even got to schedule a magic practice with her personal rival. Everything just came together to make a nice day. The sun fell behind the horizon, signaling her to go to bed. She felt a fuzzy feeling in her chest like the one she felt shaking Amitie’s head as she shut her eyes for the night.


	2. Closeness in the Classroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raffina gets distracted by Amitie during a lecture. Amitie decides to help Raffina with notes during lunchtime. However, things don’t go quite as well as Raffina hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry

Raffina’s alarm clock rang with the sound of a handbell, for this was a sound Raffina could tolerate more easily. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as the scattered sunlight shined through her velvet curtains. The little bright beams were dotted across the large bed Raffina had rested in. She hurriedly got herself dressed and ready for another average school day at Primp Magic School. Strangely, the image of Amitie’s face greeting her in the classroom was a delightful motivator to get to school on time. She dashed out of her parent’s massive sprawling mansion and headed towards the school she had studied at with her acquaintances for such a long time.

Amitie was sitting right in her seat, just like always. Raffina set down her books and fidgeted with her quill (Raffina had purchased this because she liked how it looked). Amitie tapped her on the shoulder. Amitie’s face was so close to hers that Raffina could see the twinkles in her irises. How was that even possible? Raffina would probably never know the answer to that question. Amitie tapped her shoulder again after seeing Raffina zoning out.

“Hey, did ya remember our promise to go practice Puyo matching and magic together?” Amitie asked playfully.

Of course, Amitie was expecting a “yes.” Raffina remembered that moment peculiarly clearly. She couldn’t say “no” to that cutesy, puppy dog looking face. 

“Yeah, do you think I have amnesia or something?” Raffina commented with a hint of annoyance in her voice, despite feeling as if being annoyed by this adorable girl is a violation of the laws of physics at this point.

“No, I just thought you didn’t really notice or care...” Amitie explained. “Well anyway, are you up for it?”

“Sure, I’m sure obliterating you with my magic could be fun,” Raffina teased.

It wasn’t long until Ms. Accord had arrived. The bell chimed in as Raffina’s teacher set down her binder and books on her desk. Ms. Accord turned to the class and said “good morning” to all her students, which included Lidelle, Amitie, Raffina, and Klug. Raffina continued to fidget with her quill as Ms. Accord began to lecture about a certain magical item that is said to allow one using it to astral project into lost worlds. That sounded like absolute hogwash, but she was the teacher or whatever. She found her tired eyes locked on Amitie halfway through the lecture. Despite her ridiculous hat and fashion sense, Amitie still looked pretty to her. Her short blonde hair and her eyes green as grass were such aesthetically appealing features. Maybe Amitie would actually be really attractive with those clothes off….. AND CHANGED INTO SOMETHING ELSE MORE TRENDY! Raffina refused to let her mind wander down into the slums of the commoners. That was an absolutely terrible idea considering she was in the middle of class. Though, that string of thoughts made Raffina raise another question: why was Amitie looking so cute to her today? Amitie was supposed to be the person she crushed under her shoe to make the insecurity flutter away for five minutes. Why has Raffina grown so fond of this ray of sunshine? Well, the amiability of Amitie was implied in that phrase, but it still remained a mystery as to when Amitie graduated from a crutch to a crush. Maybe a princess would be better for her than a perfect prince… What to do now?

Raffina’s weird stream of thoughts was interrupted by Ms. Accord’s hand on her desk. The teacher had noticed Raffina spacing out and awkwardly staring at Amitie the whole lecture, and she wasn’t particularly happy about that. Raffina was given cleaning duty during lunch as punishment for ignoring the lecture. She also missed all the notes from the lecture, so she’d be doomed during a pop quiz or any sort of quiz. The bell rang ten minutes later as Raffina was frantically scrambling to copy Lidelle’s notes from a distance. After that one weird thought about Amitie, focusing was harder than Puyo battling her rival, and that was saying something. Amitie saw Raffina furiously copying notes before Lidelle picked them up to pack them up. Amitie saw the frustration on Raffina’s face, the agitation in her trembling hands, and decided to help her out. Amitie pulled a chair up to Raffina. Raffina felt a light tap on the shoulder. She turned around to see Amitie’s friendly face. She felt her face grow red at the sight of Amitie. Amitie set her notes down in front of Raffina.

“Hey, do ya need some help with the notes?” Amitie asked. “I heard Ms. Accord lash out at you and wanted to help.”

Amitie was a kind person, just like always. Raffina jotted down the notes as quickly as she could. Amitie looked fixedly at Raffina’s curly and poofy hair while Raffina was quietly working. She reached her hand forward and combed her fingers through Raffina’s hair. It had been slicked down with hair product, yet it still felt puffy and soft. Raffina felt a shiver down her spine as her so-called rival ran her fingers through her hair. She jumped up from the chair and turned to Amitie.

“Hey! What gives, Amitie!!” Raffina shouted. “Don’t touch my hair out of the blue like that!”

“I’m sorry!” Amitie helped nervously. “I didn’t mean to-“

“S-sorry…” Raffina interrupted. “I-I just hate it when people t-touch my hair randomly… It’s o-okay if you w-w-wanna continue stroking it…”

Amitie nodded. She began to gently run her fingers through Raffina’s long hair. Raffina wasn’t sure exactly why this felt good, but she was sure she didn’t want it to stop. Each little touch to her long hair relaxed Raffina as she copied Amitie’s notes. She felt Amitie move her chair closer and lean in more as she continued to pet Raffina’s hair. Raffina heard a slight giggle after feeling one of her large curls being flicked playfully.

“Hey, is there something wrong with my hair?” Raffina grumbled. “Something _funny_?!”

“Haha, nah!” Amitie giggled. “I just didn’t know hair could be so perfectly curled into that shape!”

“Oh, uh, th-thanks.” Raffina murmured.

They sat down close to each other and continued to be close. This was strange for Raffina but nice. She felt Amitie’s hands creep down to her neck from her hair. Raffina didn’t really care that she could feel her friendly rival’s warm touch on her neck. Amitie tenderly caressed Raffina’s neck with her hands. Raffina dropped her quill after Amitie started on that. The odd feeling got to a point where the tension felt horrible. Raffina knew Amitie only did this because it appeared to relax her. She just couldn’t help but get some level of tantalizing joy from it. Raffina let out a quiet squeak from being touched like this. When Amitie heard Raffina’s squeal, she jumped back.

Ms. Accord threw open the door soon after that. She confronted Amitie and told her to just leave Raffina alone to do the cleanup. Amitie wished Raffina “goodbye” and promised to make it for their practice session together. If that was just copying notes, Raffina had no clue how close Amitie would actually be willing to get while they were alone. Amitie probably just touched her because, as her friend, she wanted to help Raffina after noticing she was stressed. She cleaned up the classroom on an empty stomach with a heavy feeling beneath her mind.


	3. Puyo Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raffina spends some time after school trying to practice magic with Amitie. Things go way off course after Raffina expresses both her trouble with Puyo and trouble with her feelings towards Amitie.

Raffina sat down on the ground of the play yard of Primp Magic School. She checked her pocket watch to make sure Amitie would get there on time for their training. Out of the corner of her eye, Raffina saw a girl stumbling hurriedly over to her. That was Amitie, alright. The loveable, clumsy magic student everyone knew, that was her. The girl’s cute smile made Raffina crack an honest smile herself. They walked over to a secluded corner by some trees and began to work their magic. Raffina focused as hard as she could on chaining Puyo. The task was conceptually simple: separate groups of four and make a group out of the separated part. In action, it was never easy once the workspace got crowded. She kept covering her trigger piece by accident or topping off because she lost focus. Amitie’s cute face was actually really distracting. Well, that, and the awkwardness of this interaction after what happened during lunch earlier. Raffina kept obviously failing to activate any magic due to accidentally covering her trigger piece and misdropping elsewhere.

“Gah, why can’t I do anything right today?!” Raffina shouted. “First I can’t even begin to focus during Ms. Accord’s hogwash of a lecture! Then, I get sidetracked when I’m supposed to be cleaning up and taking notes! Finally, I can’t even get these _stupid_ Puyo to chain long enough to activate my magic! I’m so useless, just like my parents tell me! Why did I _ever_ think I would amount to anything more than some snob who doesn’t even have any real confidence!!??!”

“Hey, you aren’t a failure or anything!” Amitie objected in a soft voice. “You’re just… having a bad day! Yeah totally!”

“You know, that’s probably right…. but come to think of it, you’re the source of all my issues today…” Raffina growled. “Yeah, I couldn’t focus because I kept staring at you like some weirdo! I had trouble finishing my notes because you were combing through my hair all sensually like that! And, your dumb, cute little… pathetic face! I can’t focus with those brilliant eyes staring at me like some desperate puppy who wants to be fed!”

Amitie turned away from Raffina to think for a second. Raffina realized how harsh she was being as Amitie tapped her foot in thought. However, if she backed down from her overly critical persona now, she’d surely be seen as a hypocrite. She’d already fractured the persona with the mention of her parents’ expectations, but she could keep it from shattering completely now at least. This was the one time she ever saw Amitie appear solemn. Normally, Amitie was always the happy-go-lucky type. She never really showed much aside from cheer and enthusiasm. The insults probably cut through that thick excitement of hers.

“Well, if I’m distracting you so much, is there something I can do to help?” Amitie asked solemnly and quietly.

Here, Raffina saw a massive opportunity. She could easily take advantage of Amitie to use her for whatever reasonable desires she had. Manipulation was handed to her on a sparkling silver platter. Was it a good idea for Raffina to use it? She’d completely betray the trust of the one person who liked her. “Tolerated” was perhaps the more accurate word, but the point still stood. She thought on it for a moment, deciding to just ask Amitie to keep her distance until these feelings went away.

Then, an incredibly impulsive thought hit Raffina like a slap to the face. Like a slap on the face, she was thrown into action from such a dishonorable act.

“Well, if I acted on these stupid desires, I wouldn’t be so distracted by them!” Raffina maintained.

Oh no, Raffina felt immediate regret over what she said. There was no swallowing her words down her throat to make them disappear now. If she was in this grave, she had to dig it as deep as she could.

“Hmm, well what are your desires?” Amitie questioned. “I bet they aren’t stupid. I promise I won’t judge or anything.”

“A kiss…” Raffina admitted. “You’re just so pretty and nice and, uhhhhh, appealing that I just want to touch you until you squeak like a cute little mouse!”

This was the end. Raffina had absolutely doomed herself with that one impulsive set of words. If Amitie decided to let the others know about this, Raffina was never going to hear the end of Klug’s teasing at the fact she liked Amitie. Amitie would walk away, making her whole attempt to learn strong magic pointless. Magic without a rival to fight with it is just a fancy little light show. All her work was rendered useless if Amitie decided to disregard her very existence because of this. She’d be the failure her parents would never let sit at the dinner table if she became apathetic about magic due to that. Amitie butted into her paranoid thoughts, to Raffina’s relief.

“Sure!” Amite answered while bubbling with enthusiasm as if it was normal. “You’re such a lovely person, Raffina! I’m surprised no one asked you to do that with them earlier!”

Raffina was at a loss for words. Well, aside from her automatic, half-snarky remark. She decided to fire that bad boy off, so she had some think time to make a coherent sentence.

“Klug and Lidelle are the only people who know me well enough to even have the chance of developing feelings for me…” Raffina quipped. “You do realize that, right? There is no way in hell that egocentric mess would ever go near me, and I am glad about that fact! Lidelle is probably too innocent to even know what a crush is… although, I kind of figured the same was true of you…”

“Feelings are something I really get though!” Amitie clarified. “Plus… you look pretty today! Especially your hair!”

“Thanks, and to you too. Well, aside from the stupid hat…”

“Hey, this hat is my favorite part of what I wear!”

“Well, whatever, do you wanna get on with that, uh, kiss or what?”

“Mhmm sure, Raffina!”

Amitie approached Raffina slowly. Clearly, this was somewhat nerve-wracking for Amitie. It was nerve-wracking for Raffina too. This was probably both of their first kisses. Of course, they would be nervous about this! Amitie wrapped one of her arms around Raffina’s waist and the other reached up for Raffina’s chin. Amitie pushed Raffina into the wooden fencing around the play yard as their lips touched. Raffina began to run her fingers through Amitie’s short and soft hair as Amitie’s lips teased Raffina. Amitie had start slow on Raffina just to tease her, didn’t she? Amitie moved her hand from Raffina’s hair to her neck and began to gently massage it, just like during lunch. Raffina felt as though she had to hold her breath from the excited state this put her all in. She couldn’t afford to look like some creep. Amitie went from just brushing her lips against Raffina’s to lip-locking. Raffina tried desperately to avoid making any sort of noise. Raffina could feel Amitie almost leaning on her, their bodies pressed against each other. Raffina could even feel Amitie’s tiny b- no, she was not going to stoop this low now! She was going to enjoy the closeness of her rival, no, friend actually liking her! 

After around half a minute of Raffina feeling like she was going to explode like the fireworks spell she could occasionally cast, Amitie pushed herself off Raffina. Amitie giggled and tucked Raffina’s hair behind her ear. Raffina covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to not let out even the tiniest little moans from how she got stupidly squirrelly over some level of physical attention. Desperate, much? Amitie put her hand on Raffina’s shoulder and beamed.

“Wow, that was fun for the first time I ever did that!” Amitie said cheerfully. “Let’s do that again sometime!”

Damn, Amitie appeared to Raffina to be quite a good kisser for the first time with someone at all. Raffina let out a sigh as a more muddled and less creepy way to express her immense satisfaction. That worked out strangely well for Raffina.

“Yeah totally hun or whatever,” Raffina added jokingly.

“Well, why don’t you try out doing magic now, sweetie?” Amitie asked

Amitie was so adorable to Raffina for taking the joke literally. Who was she kidding? Amitie was just adorable always. She laughed at the misunderstanding and began to match Puyo with a relaxing feeling pervading through the air. She finally was able to set up the chain without many mistakes. When the final trigger was placed, Raffina used the power of the chain to conjure up her magic. Her hands felt bitter and cold as she launched a small freezing wave out. She shouted “Frost” as a small blue mist hit the fence. Amitie clapped and cheered for Raffina being finally able to get over her roadblock to some extent. When Raffina noticed it was getting late, she hugged Amitie goodbye. Raffina felt an extremely warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest. Was this love? Whatever it was, it was nice, just like Amitie. The magnificent light of the nearing sunset washed over her as Raffina finally reached home. Tomorrow would be better than today for Raffina. She looked forward to the future that awaited her, no matter the hardship sprinkled on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I swear, the kiss scene was the hardest part to write but is it worth it.


	4. Quest for a Phoenix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tarutaru works with Amitie and Raffina on a project centered around magical items. Although, one mistake on Raffina and Amitie’s part causes conflict with Tarutaru.

The alarm rang out throughout Raffina’s bedroom. The sound jerked the slumbering girl awake. She had to go to school after all. Raffina fell out of bed after trying to stretch her leg out from under the sheets. Her groaning was loud enough where she was sure her parents could hear it even in some stifled form. She was just laying on the floor in a nightgown that barely reached down to her knees. It would be embarrassing if someone were to walk in. She reached over her dresser awkwardly from the floor and grabbed the clothes she always wore to school. The clock was ticking down as she hurriedly fastened up she bra, slipped her white collared shirt on, and then put on her skirt. After she put on her other shirt on top, she put her ascot tie on carefully. She had to look nice since she would see Amitie at school today. She brushed her hair and teeth quickly. She rushed out the door when she finished getting ready with her heart pounding excitedly in her chest. Today was going to be a good day to see her rival and friend.

She managed to get to the classroom right before the class started. Amitie turned around towards me as soon as she saw Raffina and hugged her. Raffina could smell the sweet strawberry shampoo Amitie must have used. She was cultured enough to know the scents of different soaps and perfumes very well. The feeling of physical closeness with a cute girl like Amitie was delightful to Raffina. She could feel Klug staring at her and likely holding back a chuckle. She let go of Amitie and stormed over to Klug. He was snickering quietly just as she thought.

“Oh, it looks like someone lost to her little rival and now is kissing up to her to make things even!” Klug asserted. “Someone as intelligent and skilled as myself would never fall prey to such an inept girl as Amitie. Guess that’s one point for me now, huh?”

“Hey I didn’t k- wait no you were just attacking my personality again,” Raffina said while snapping at Klug. “You brag so much about yourself, yet you don’t even bother to entertain the idea that Amitie can actually pull off thirteen chains with that careless smile on her face. And that I couldn’t manage it with enough focus? Really, attacking the ego of a kind girl like Amitie? You insolent bastard!”

“UHYAHYAHYA!” Klug yelled out. “What a mistake you’ve made by fouling up your language ‘miss prim and proper!’ Surely, Ms. Accord will get punish you again. I’m sure it’ll be worse than cleaning up the classroom, HAH!”

“At least in that case, Amitie will have her honor intact from your dubious assertions about her skill level!”

Ms. Accord had entered the classroom in the middle of Klug and Raffina’s squabble and had enough of it. Klug was favored because of his good behavior and grades, making Raffina have to deal with more classroom clean up. She sighed in defeat. There was no way out of the punishment. Cursing was something Raffina did in that argument. Punishment was justified. Ms. Accord began describing a new assignment meant to help students understand magical items. Students had to go out to one location assigned to them and obtain/borrow the assigned item. Then, the students in groups were supposed to carry on with laid out lab instructions to test the magical nature of the items and learn more about them. Ms. Accord allowed students to pick their groups. Klug partnered up with Sig. Lidelle partnered up with Feli before Raffina could have asked Lidelle. Tarutaru joined the remaining Amitie and Raffina. Tarutaru’s well-known feelings for Raffina were going to make this project a nightmare.

Raffina’s group was tasked with going to Oshare’s Shop to ask to obtain a Fire Bird at a discounted rate for class. She heard Klug scoff at her as he headed out with Sig to borrow a Shellfish of Thinking from Ocean Prince, completely unaware Raffina possessed one herself. Oh, how Raffina hated Klug! She was glad the jerk was no longer going to tease her. Though, if she was going to get time alone with Amitie, perhaps another form of teasing would be expected. She took the note the teacher handed the group and walked off the school campus. Ms. Accord must have trusted them enough to go alone, but maybe that wasn’t the best decision.

It wasn’t long until she could hear Tarutaru rambling on about some cool tree he saw on the way to school this morning. Amitie seemed to be cheerfully pacing alongside them, unaware that Tarutaru was just attempting to talk up Raffina. After all the attempts he had made to win her affections, Raffina knew his games all too well. As they walked through a residential area, Raffina moved closer to Amitie. She grasped Amitie’s hand out of the blue. The soft skin on Amitie’s palms was soothing to feel. Her smile gave Raffina a warm and fuzzy feeling. That feeling was something like infatuation. Her desire for, no, to be with Amitie didn’t feel so short term in the slightest as the word “infatuation” implies. It could just be a lack of foresight responsible for this thought. She could feel Tarutaru giving her an awkward look.

“I never realized you two were actually friendly,” Tarutaru stated. “I never thought you the type to be friendly with anyone, Raffine.”

“Well, you wanna hear the reason why we get along so we-“ Amitie asked before Raffina yanked her hand in a way where they were huddled together.

“Amitie, please don’t mention what we did or what I said last training session for the love of that book demon,” Raffina whispered. “Tarutaru, uh, he has a crush on me I’m pretty sure. He’ll try to stomp you in Puyo battles several times over if he heard we… you know… kissed. Sure, it would be nice to have him go away after seeing us, but that probably will not happen. He’ll just get upset and ruin the chances of this project going smoothly. Got it?”

“Uh-huh, love,” Amitie replied.

“And please don’t call me that, or he’s gonna pick up on that for sure.”

“Alright.”

“Yeah, I sure would like to know!” Tarutaru answered to Amitie’s initial question.

Raffina had one little thought appear in her head at those words: time to bullshit! All she had to do was make up a story and keep it consistent. It couldn’t be that hard, right?

“Amitie actually managed to beat me in a Puyo battle,” Raffina asserted. “I wanted to learn how she did it, so I spent some time training with her. Turns out, Amitie isn’t all this bad. Of course, she’s nothing compared to me when it comes to magic. What a pathetic commoner! However, she’s at least nice when she loses.”

That wasn’t much of a lie. Raffina _did_ like how Amitie was nice and considerate mostly unconditionally. Attraction of the physical and emotional sort did play a role she refused to mention to Tarutaru. She thought of Amitie as beautiful, even with the dumb hat. She thought Amitie was charming with her cutesy look and attitude. Why she felt this way for Amitie is something Raffina didn’t know. Amitie has no clue on even the beginnings of fashion, as evidenced by the hat and the clashing, eye-bleeding colors of her outfit. She had no sense of standards like the high-society standards Raffina was raised to oblige to. Even though they seemed so different, Raffina liked Amitie at the end of the day.

“Well, that’s nice!” Tarutaru commented. “Just, Amitie, please don’t get too close Raffine, alright? I don’t really want to fight you. Though, the chances of that seem pretty low with Raffine always looking for her Prince Charming, hah!”

Oh, how wrong Tarutaru was. They continued to walk down the straight street down to Oshare’s Shop. The shop had a massive Puyo sculpture resting on top of the building’s roof. Aside from that, it appeared to be a moderately standard quaint shop. Signs advertising various items rested in front of the store, and various magical items were visible through the foggy windows. The sky was cloudy with a good chance of rain. The group decided to run inside with the note to avoid the risk of dampening the note. The store’s interior was a cluttered mess. Various food items, tokens, whistles, magic birds, and clothing items were scattered across the floor and racks. Oshare Bones sat at his counter near the point register. He greeted the students.

“Oh hello, darlings!” Oshare Bones boomed. “What do you lovely little students want from my humble shop? Oh, Raffina, you look stylish as ever. You’re really slaying that look as always!”

“Why thank you sir, but this is not even close to the epitome of my fashion sense,” Raffina replied. “Anyway, we’re here on a school project. Ms. Accord asked us to pick up a Fire Bird, so we can learn about magic items. Here’s the note.”

Raffina handed Oshare Bones the note, hoping he would go along with the request for a discount. He chuckled after lifting up his head from the note.

“Of course, I don’t mind granting a discount on behalf of your learning experience, you lovely customers,” Oshare Bones stated. “You shop here so often for sundaes and jelly on weekends as well as soap pretty regularly that I really don’t mind giving you a discount, Raffina. I’ll cut it down to 264 points. A 30% discount ought to be good enough for you.”

“Sure that works,” Raffina replied as she gave over the 264 points to Oshare Bones. He handed her a cage with the bird inside it. It was a wispy magical spirit fluttering around frantically inside the tiny cage. Its body had a slight orange glow to it, and the cage felt warm to Raffina’s touch. The members of the group thanked Oshare for his help. Tarutaru decided to look around a bit in the store while Amitie and Raffina waited outside near the signs for him.

Raffina was finally alone together with Amitie again, even if it was only going to be for a short while. Amitie’s lips appeared to quietly beckon her close. It was long until Raffina was clinging to Amitie’s arm. When Amitie inevitably asked why, Raffina said how she wanted to be close while Tarutaru was gone. She explained how she had felt the urge to just hug and kiss the whole day. Clinginess was the appropriate title for this feeling, but Amitie didn’t seem to mind. They snuck around to the alley to the side of the shop. Raffina backed against the wall to make things easier and pulled on Amitie’s shirt collar to get their lips to touch. Amitie was extremely gentle at first, barely even grazing Raffina’s lips. Apparently, Amitie’s initial teasing was just how she kissed. Raffina then felt arms wrap around her waist, and the sensation of Amitie’s lips wrapping her bottom one struck her. Amitie gently tugged at Raffina’s bottom lip, not realizing how sensitive to this kind of stuff Raffina was. Raffina threw off Amitie’s hat and ran her fingers through Amitie’s hair as Amitie continued to switch between a lip lock and moving around. Raffina moved her knee between Amitie’s legs. It was only fair for Raffina to make Amitie suffer these intense feelings along with her. With each little tug at her lip, Raffina felt herself tense up. A moan was growing in the back of Raffina’s throat, but the thought of letting it out disgusted Raffina. They were too young to be moaning and panting like how she’d heard her mom and dad did from their bedroom when she was a year or two younger. That was extremely uncomfortable for Raffina to recall. The delight from the physical intimacy she shared with Amitie helped wash that discomfort away. She heard Amitie pause in the kiss for a moment to let out a sigh. The moment was nice for both of them. Raffina could hear a quiet “this is so fun” purred into her left ear by a happy Amitie.

Footsteps interrupted their moment. Tarutaru dropped his newly-purchased seed pack at the sight of Raffine holding Amitie so close. He could see the want in the girls’ eyes and the physical intimacy inferred from the positions they were in. Tarutaru felt his hopes to be with the wonderful Raffine crumble before his very eyes. Everything he had wanted had vanished like smoke from a campfire into the sprawling sky. Why was Amitie so cruel as to take away his one major desire? He couldn’t stand the thought of losing Raffine like that. He began chaining Puyo in an attempt to stop this injustice.

Out of the corner of her eye, Raffina could see Tarutaru’s chain building. If she didn’t act fast enough, she’d be doomed to be hit. She impulsively used the Fire Bird to enter the Fever state to outdo him quickly. She had used these things before, so the idea of using another helpful item to keep Amitie safe was worth it. The Fire Bird flew gracefully out of its cage and exploded into a fountain spray of sparks down on Raffina. She had magic flowing through her and easily knocked down the chain Tarutaru sent. He fell to the ground from the unexpected attack. Amitie held Raffina in an embrace, scared of the sudden attack.

“Hey, watch it Tarutaru!” Raffina yelled at him. “I’m not afraid of kicking your ass again if you so much as try to attack Amitie again because of your petty jealousy. For the last time, I am _not_ interested in you and never will be! You are not my Prince Charming! Now, please never bother us like that again!”

“Alright, alright I’m sorry!” Tarutaru confessed. “I just couldn’t stand the thought of you-“

“What, me actually having my own choice on my lover independent of you?” Raffina growled. “Did you really think my thoughts revolve around you? Guess what? They don’t!”

“Look, can we just go back and get another Fire Bird!?” Tarutaru asked. “I don’t wanna get into another fight after that!”

“But don’t we have the Fire Bird right here?” Amitie asked.

“I may have rashly used it to counter Tarutaru…” Raffina answered. “Don’t worry, I can easily afford another one, even without the discount. I’ll, uh, just go back and get another one. Sorry about being a nuisance who got in the way of our project…”

Raffina trudged back into Oshare’s Shop. She picked up another Fire Bird as quickly as she could before heading back to the group. This time, Amitie handled the panickedly flapping bird in the cage. She grasped for Raffina’s hand while they strolled back through the residential area. Raffina knocked it away after a quick glance towards Tarutaru. She didn’t need to cause any more trouble. When they arrived at the school, Amitie used the item while Raffina took down notes on how it affected Amitie’s magic use. Tarutaru stared solemnly and longingly at Raffina as she scribbled down answers to the project questions on the group paper. That unchanging gaze unnerved Raffina, but she deserved that sad look after what happened. Tarutaru left when the bell rang for the day, but Amitie and Raffina stayed after to finish the assignment. Klug and Sig were working in the classroom after school as well. While Klug was out experimenting with the item, Sig stayed inside to finish up some notes. Amitie turned to Raffina and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Amitie likely figured Sig wouldn’t care.

“I know today was rough with what happened with Tarutaru, but I think you helped us do a pretty good job at the project despite that!” Amitie murmured next to Raffina. “You were the one who got us the discount and paid! You’ve also been really helpful with the questions, and I appreciate that!”

“Thanks to you too,” Raffina acknowledged. “It’s nice to have someone else’s perspective on how the use of a Fire Bird affects magic. Plus, I finally managed to get Tarutaru to give up after all his pestering. He’s a nice guy and all, but he really gets on my nerves with that grit to get with me.”

“You’re welcome!” Amitie replied cheerfully. “I love you, sweetheart!”

Wait… it had only been two days. Amitie loved her in that short of a time. Raffina was utterly confused. How could Amitie grow so attached in such a short time? However that happened, it felt delightful to hear those words sweet like honey coming from Amitie’s mouth. Raffina might not have been as bad as she believed herself to be after all.

“Heh, I love you too,” Raffina murmured right before she kissed Amitie on the cheek.

After working on their project for another hour, Raffina bid Amitie farewell for the day. She felt a weight in her head from the sorrow she had caused the kind Tarutaru. She never liked him, but crushing him like this was painful. The truth here was necessary. Otherwise, Raffina would never hear the end of his attempts to romance her. She pulled the sheets of her bed over her head, shut off the lamp, and said "goodnight" to the large world she found herself in. She had learned far more from this whole project than she expected. She fell asleep in her soft, feathery bed with mixed feelings that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Tarutaru exists, and I found some semblance of a reason to write about him.
> 
>  
> 
> Ok.


	5. Complications with Klug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klug discovers Amitie and Raffina’s relationship and isn’t too happy about that fact.

The sun rose, and the day to present their project information had arrived. Raffina stumbled out of bed and fastened up her bra. She put on one of her nice lacy ones; it was her lucky bra, and she probably needed some luck. She got dressed. Then, she stared into the mirror. The person who looked back appeared tired and love-struck. A pathetic waste of oxygen gazed back into her dulled eyes. She had done nothing but cause conflict and bother Amitie. It was a miracle that Amitie still wanted to be her rival and lover. No one ever wanted her around because of her fake ego, but Amitie still enjoyed their Puyo fights. Understanding that was something Raffina just couldn’t do. She continued to comb through her long pink hair while staring down her own worst enemy. Once she was ready, she headed out for school.

Raffina handed the project packet over to Ms. Accord. Then, she sat down near Amitie. Tarutaru sat down near them. Sig and Klug, as well as Feli and Lidelle, sat near each other while anticipating the presentation. Ms. Accord called on Raffina’s group got called on to start off. The group went up, and Raffina began their presentation. She spoke firmly and with an air of confidence, though she felt incredibly insecure. She gave Amitie the chance to present the remaining sections. Amitie talked about the Fire Bird in such a friendly tone. Raffina couldn't get enough of her rival’s voice. Everyone except for Klug and Tarutaru clapped when they were done.

Raffina sat back down at her seat. She could hear Klug snickering at her from across the room. Of course, Klug never liked what she did. He always wanted to be at least two steps ahead of her to keep the flame of his self-image ablaze. It could fizzle out if she threw a deluge of insults and personal attacks his way, but she didn’t need to make herself look like even more of a jerk. Despite Klug’s more hostile response, the presentation had an overall good reception from a glance at everyone’s faces. The other groups presented, and the lunch bell’s loud sound pierced the quiet atmosphere.

Raffina walked out to the play yard. The trees of the yard swayed gently in the breeze. Shrubs dotted the grassy lunch area, and the tweeting of the birds was audible. Raffina sat next to Amitie on a stone bench near the fencing. Amitie leaned her head on Raffina’s shoulder as she ate her lunch. Raffina stroked Amitie’s hair while she ate her sandwich. Extravagant and costly meals were saved for dinner in Raffina’s home for a variety of reasons her parents asserted. She eventually finished her lunch and took out her jelly container. Amitie moved her head off Raffina’s shoulder after seeing the jelly. The jelly was a light green due to the overly magical effects of consuming red or yellow jelly for Raffina. She opened the container and took out the small spoon attached to the lid. Amitie asked politely for some jelly. Raffina couldn’t resist Amitie’s puppy dog eyes. Raffina scooped up a small amount of bouncy, goopy jelly. She moved the spoon towards Amitie’s face. Then, Raffina slid the spoon into Amitie’s waiting mouth. Raffina pulled the spoon out of Amitie’s mouth once it looked like Amitie had gotten the jelly off. She could still see the damp mark of her rival’s saliva on the spoon. The spoon dipped into the jelly cup and entered Raffina’s mouth. The green jelly tasted sweeter now that it was shared with the lovely girl she sat beside. 

“Mmm, that was really tasty Raffina!” Amitie observed. “Can I have a little more, please?”

“Oh, of course, my lovely rival~” Raffina purred. “I wouldn’t mind sharing a kiss like that again~”

“Wait, a kiss?” Amitie asked in confusion. “I thought we just shared some jelly! How is that a kiss!?”

“Don’t you know what an indirect kiss is?” Raffina asked. “We both put our lips on that spoon, so that’s somewhat like a kiss.”

“Oh, that’s nice to know! Thank you for explaining!”

“Of course I wouldn’t leave you in the dark, my excellent rival.”

Raffina swore to keep her insecurity as far away from Amitie as possible. She had to keep Amitie in the dark about that. Amitie would never like an incompetent and useless rival. She had to enjoy the lie while it lasted.

They continued to share the jelly while the lunchtime ticked away. Their classmates sat on the other side of the play yard which was closer to the school building and some scattered playground equipment. Klug noticed the two of them over on the bench, and he decided to walk over there to go anger Raffina.

Klug approached Raffina. He never liked that weak mess with a terrible temper. Though he was not quite on the level of his amazing idol, Lemres, he was above most of the other students, especially the rash Raffina. He tried to be better while Raffina danced around in her rut of weakness and polluted Amitie with her personality. He saw Raffina petting Amitie’s hair and feeding jelly to her via a spoon after approaching them. They were clearly interested in each other. Klug wasn’t stupid enough to miss it. Amitie had made a terrible decision by being with the harsh rich kid. He was going to expose Raffina’s faults to fix this. Lemres would never do something like this. Perhaps Klug shouldn’t either. He thought through it and decided to do this for the good of both of their magical capabilities. Sure, that was a 100% valid motive for him. He had to find some way to justify it.

Klug scoffed at Raffina. This was not a particularly unusual occurrence. He gave Raffina a spiteful glare and chuckled.

“Ah, I see you two are romantically involved; it’s obvious from the way you sit together,” Klug asserted.

“Yep, Raffina’s great, especially as a rival!” Amitie agreed.

“Not really,” Klug corrected. “She’s extremely egotistical, just from a distance. She has nothing behind that either! At least I have academic achievement and magical prowess to back up my self-image! What does Raffina have? A crutch of a pouch and a bitter attitude to add! Her grades are certainly average, and her magic is _weak_! She is utterly pathetic!”

“She may not have the best magic, but neither do I!” Amitie added. “She may not have amazing grades, but I don’t either! She’s unpleasant a lot because of her ego and her remarks, but I can see the genuinely nice person under all those faults! And I like that person! You’re kinda mean sometimes Klug, and I don’t hate you for it. You’re still a good classmate, but you have a lot of faults too. None of us are perfect. That’s okay. It’s just that… well… Raffina’s kind of imperfect is just right for me of that makes any sense!”

“Hmmm, that’s a good point, I admit. However, Raffina _will_ become grating on you once you realize the extent of her flaws. Oh, she is absolutely awful, and it’s only a matter of time until you realize that! She’ll never be as great as the Comet Warlock, unlike me, the straight-A student and magical prodigy!”

“Alrighty Klug, have a nice recess!”

“Uhhh, you too I guess…” 

Klug awkwardly shuffled away. Amitie knew how to word things well and shut down conversations in the clumsiest way possible. The detail that seemed to floor Raffina more was that Amitie didn’t like her ego but loved her despite that. She acknowledged Raffina’s observable flaws yet could bear to kiss and hold Raffina in a romantic embrace. The feeling of someone genuinely liking her was amazing for Raffina. Klug was going to mock their relationship for sure from this point on. Raffina didn’t care; she felt the stinging insults were worth it to be with Amitie. They finished up the pudding, and the students walked back to class after recess ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m starting to lose ideas for this fiction. It was supposed to be a spur of the moment type fiction, but it’s been stretched out to this. I might be super slow with chapters or give up on this outright. I’ll still do Raffami, but it’ll probably be one-shots if I do something separate after creative burnout kicks my body into the deepest trench of the ocean.


	6. A Rich Girl's Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After all they had been through, Raffina wanted to ask Amitie out. However, her parents needed to approve of their relationship before that happened. Amitie and Raffina headed to Raffina's mansion to meet her parents and ask for permission for dates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was hard to write because holy heck, is it long! Ack, my brain cells have started to hurt from the writing overkill. It's worth it though.

It had been a week since Klug bothered the two of them. The sun’s bright beams of light greeted Raffina’s hair and nightgown. She was exhausted from all the work Ms. Accord had loaded onto the students. She still managed to feel some joy since Amitie was there to help. Despite how slow Amitie was, she was able to offer Raffina good help with work and projects. Raffina was thankful to have such a nice friend by her side. 

Raffina stumbled out of bed and clothed herself. She placed her wing clip in her hair as she carefully applied her makeup. She wanted to look nice for today. She was planning on asking Amitie out. Maybe they could shop for clothes together. Amitie’s sense of fashion was a vibrant mess. She never wore makeup either. Amitie would be even cuter in makeup. Though, “pretty” would be likely be a more fitting word for that. Raffina snapped out of her lengthy train of thought, so she could focus on packing her backpack. She ran out of the house off towards the school.

When she entered the classroom, Raffina was greeted by a tackle hug from Amitie. Amitie’s overly energetic hug knocked the unsuspecting Raffina onto the rough floor. Her hair was messed up from this sudden move. Lidelle rushed over to try to help Amitie off of Raffina. This seemed unlike Amitie. At least the strawberry smell of Amitie’s hair was nice.

“Amitie, what on earth did you do that for?!” Raffina yelled. “You could have SERIOUSLY injured me! Please never do that again!”

“I’m sorry!” Amitie helped nervously. “I just got super excited to see you for some reason! I didn’t mean to-“

“I got it Amitie!” Raffina interrupted. “Just… please get off me before everyone thinks too much of you being on top of me.”

Amitie didn’t seem to grasp what Raffina was hinting at. One girl on top of the other has all sorts of lascivious implications to it. She could feel Amitie’s soft and appealing body against her. Raffina felt disgusted at her own mind even recalling that information and trying to justify her own feelings. Amitie was young, and she was young as well! That was incredibly inappropriate!

Amitie stood up carefully as to avoid stepping on Raffina. Amitie helped Raffina up and hugged her normally. Raffina felt her mouth tug into a small smile. Amitie probably did this as an apology for tackling her, but it still felt much better than just standing up from that. Lidelle kindly asked Raffina if she was okay. Raffina nodded and stretched in an attempt to make her body feel better. She sat down in her chair. Soon, Ms. Accord entered the room. The teacher droned on about Puyo matching techniques designed to optimize chain length. Raffina felt bored and slightly sore, but she still scribbled down notes on the various set ups. There were around four set ups she actually paid attention to. They seemed handy. Though, they all remained slow compared to shorter chains. Perhaps, she could use shorter chains to interrupt the set ups. When the useful information was spoken and Ms. Accord continued to drone on, Raffina was tempted to just fall asleep in class. The smooth wood of her desk beckoned her to place her head on it. She would get into more trouble if she slept in class. Raffina barely stayed awake throughout the class in fear of punishment. The lunch bell sounded like the singing of the angels to the tired Raffina.

Amitie and Raffina shared the jelly Raffina brought during lunch. They had been doing this regularly throughout the previous week. The jelly tasted the sweetest when Amitie’s lips touched the spoon the jelly rested on. Raffina leaned her head on Amitie’s shoulder while scooping up more jelly with her spoon. She wanted to get her question out of her throat before she would swallow it down yet again.

“Amitie, would you care to spend time outside of school together?” Raffina asked. “Of course, my parents would need to make acquaintance with you before we venture out of the house together.”

“Totally!” Amitie answered excitedly. “I’d love to go on a date, Raffi!”

“I… I wasn’t quite proposing a date…” Raffina clarified. “Rather, I just wanted to get to know what you’re like outside of Primp Magic School.”

“Oh, okay!” Amitie commented! “Gee, I wonder what your parents are like, Raffina… I bet they’re probably somewhat unpleasant, but I’ll be nice to them!”

The rest of the day flew by like a pigeon soaring above the massive building of a metropolitan area. The final bell resounded through the school. As Amitie got up out of her desk, Raffina grabbed her hand and rushed the both of them out the door. Raffina dragged Amitie down the path to her parents’ mansion. Raffina’s palms were sweaty with anxious anticipation. Raffina’s shoes pounded noticeably against the pavement on the quiet walkway as Raffina stormed off towards home. She was terrified of her parents immediately rejecting Amitie upon sight due to her poor fashion choice and commoner mannerisms. Amitie yanked Raffina’s hand back in the middle of Raffina’s walk back home. Raffina felt her arm almost pulled out of socket by the sudden pull. A jolt of pain shot through her arm.

“Amitie, what on earth did you do that for?” Raffina grumbled. “We can’t be late to my place!”

“You just seem really upset, Raffi!” Amitie replied. “Your hand’s all sweaty, and you started dragging me along all of a sudden a little while ago! I’m just worried…”

“I’m worried too…” Raffina mumbled. “My parents are really harsh.”

“Oh, so, does that run in the family then?” Amitie asked.

“Now is not the time for clever remarks, but it appears to be that way. Anyway, I have the concern that they will disapprove of our association upon the first sight of your messy, commoner look. I wanted to get home on time, so I could change you into some nicer clothes to avoid that.”

“Oh I get it. Though, won’t your parents know it’s your clothing I’d be wearing?”

“No, I doubt that, Amitie. I go clothes shopping without them. You do realize that, right?”

“Uh huh, I kinda figured… Well, let’s get a move on then!”

Raffina nodded in agreement. They continued to walk through the streets hand-in-hand. The scent of the summer plants lining the streets was pleasant along with the bright green leaves of the many trees scattered around the roadside. They reached the mansion of Raffina’s parents shortly. The massive building appeared to be at least 3 stories high, which Raffina knew to be accurate. Despite the large size of the place she knew as home, she had learned every corner and crevice of the mansion itself. The large staircase visible from the entrance she slid down as a child, the small personal gym she trained in, the greenhouse behind the mansion filled with both perennial and annual flowers of countless varieties among fruits, the closet similarly sized to an average bedroom filled to the brim with trendy, colorful clothing; all of that Raffina knew like the back of her hand. She hoped Amitie would be permitted to become acquainted with her abode as well.

“Wow, this place is soooo big!!” Amitie marveled with her mouth gaping open. “This is where you live!?”

“Yes, this is where I dwell,” Raffina answered with no wonder in her voice whatsoever. “Now, let us go to my room to get you changed.”

After sneaking in through a back door from the greenhouse, Amitie and Raffina entered Raffina’s room. The scent of a jasmine from a small diffuser on Raffina’s dresser permeated through the air. A night gown was left on the floor, but the room was fancy and cleanly aside from that. A fluffy, soft bed with a canopy sat near to a velvet curtained window. Amitie could see a makeup bag filled to the brim sitting on Raffina’s dresser near a gold-plated mirror. Raffina could tell Amitie was overwhelmed by the overly extravagant appearance of her room.

“Hey, you can go relax on the bed while I go grab something for you to wear,” Raffina announced as she gestured Amitie to the bed. “I’m sure you’ll adore my bed~”

Raffina sorted through that closet while fighting the intense urge to bury her face in her hands after saying that. Now was not the time to be making vaguely lecherous implications about her and Amitie together. It was the time to help Amitie hide her common looks. She dug around and found some mules she hadn’t worn in a long while. There were some baggy gray knee-high socks resting on the floor near to those shoes. Perhaps a look similar to her own would be good to go by. Raffina found a navy skirt, a black button up shirt, gray cardigan, and white ribbon to go along with the outfit. While eye-bleedingly oversaturated colors were normally Amitie’s look, perhaps she would look nice in something more easy on the eyes. The choice of clothes Raffina picked out also let Amitie’s beautiful blonde hair and lively emerald green eyes stand out more against the neutral colors. Amitie was sprawled out on the bed by the time Raffina came out of the closet. Amitie appeared sleepy and relaxed while she hugged one of Raffina’s pillows in her arms. Amitie was so cute! Raffina sat on the bed beside Amitie and held the clothes near her.

“Okay, I picked something out for you,” Raffina stated. “Ready to try it on?”

“Oh, yeah!” Amitie said cheerfully.

Whether just out of a lack of awareness or wanting to bug Raffina, Amitie began to strip as soon as Raffina gestured for her to try on the outfit. Amitie had managed to get down to her bra and shorts by the time Raffina’s senses began to hit her again.

“Hey, isn’t this, I don’t know, weird!?” Raffina shouted in shock.

“It is?” Amitie asked in confusion.

“Yes, people don’t just… let others see their underwear like that without… without… gah, nevermind!”

“Without what?”

“I said ‘nevermind’ for a reason… anyway, do you need to go in my closet to change? You might feel more comfortable in there-“

“Nah, it’s not a problem to me. It’s just clothes, what’s the big deal?”

“Oh… oh… um, alright then. Please just make it quick, my parents are going to be expecting us soon.”

Raffina just sat on the bed awkwardly as Amitie took off her shorts and preceded to change into the outfit. The twisted part of Raffina wanted to burn the image of Amitie in nothing but her underwear into her brain, but the more civilized part wanted to burn the image out of her brain with a flamethrower. Mental conflict was confusing. Amitie was having trouble with the button up shirt. It figures since Amitie just wears that strange assortment of clothing with no buttons to be seen. Raffina walked up to Amitie and buttoned up the shirt from behind her. Her hands grazed across Amitie’s soft chest as she did all of the buttons up. Amitie’s body was so cute, just like the rest of her. Despite Amitie’s lack of intellect, diligence, or a sense for the cruelties of the real world, she was incredibly likable. Raffina tied the ribbon into Amitie’s hair while Amitie dealt with the socks and shoes. Amitie’s hair smelled of strawberry and what a lovely scent it was. Raffina secured the bow just as Amitie slipped her shoes on. Raffina snuck in a quick peck kiss to Amitie’s soft and delicate neck before they came out of the room together.

They strolled through the maze of hallways and rooms to the dining room. A long table stretched from one side of the room to another with chairs on both sides of it. Two plates and sets of silverware were set up right near Raffina’s parents. They looked annoyed at Raffina dragging a girl like Amitie home. When they heard Raffina mention bringing a “partner” home, they weren't exactly expecting a ditzy girl from Raffina’s school. Raffina didn't appear to be the type to bring anyone other than the finest and most fashionable of princes home. Amitie quietly sat down next to Raffina and across her parents. Raffina and Amitie were both nervous about this. Raffina took a deep breath, so she could greet her parents.

“Hello mother and father,” Raffina said in a cordial and polite tone. “I see you have set up the table for our lovely guest here.”

“Oh, uh, hello there!” Amitie chimed in. “My name’s Amitie! Raffina and I are really good friends!”

“Did you really drag us out like this just to meet a friend, Raffina?” Raffina’s father asked. “If so, this was an absolute waste of our time. Your mother and I have better things to do than talk with some plebeian friend of yours.”

“She is not merely my friend, dear father,” Raffina answered. “We have fallen in love with each other and are currently in a romantic relationship. Is this an accurate assertion, Amitie?”

“Yep!” Amitie answered excitedly. “I've loved Raffi, I mean, Raffina for a little while now! Wait… how did you know I was a pleebiun or whatever?”

“Amitie, your mannerisms and way of speaking aren’t exactly refined,” Raffina commented.

“Yours aren't at scho-” Amitie added.

“Anyway, let us cut to the primary issue here.” Raffina said as she cut Amitie off before Raffina’s image to her parents was ruined. “Mother, father, do you permit me and Amitie to remain in a romantic relationship together? Are there any serious reservations you have about this situation?”

“First of all, Amitie is it?” Raffina’s father asked. “She appears to be quite situationally unaware and slow. Are you sure you want to be with an intellectually incapable commoner?”

“While Amitie may struggle academically to some extent and is not upper class, she still is one of the most compassionate, empathetic, patient, and caring people I have ever me,” Raffina stated in a matter-of-fact manner. “It would be a mistake not to take the wonderful role of ‘lover’ she has bestowed upon me.”

“This girl is absolutely pathetic!” Raffina’s mother blurted out angrily in the middle of the discussion. “She is not only slow as your father explained, but she is a filthy commoner! She will never amount to anything! Sweetie, just ditch the peasant before she gets dragged down by poverty too far for you to save. Please, do not bring another commoner in as your proposed romantic partner for your own sake, Raffina!”

“Well, pardon me mother, this girl may be a commoner as I have explained, but she is the best commoner I have ever met. She may not be your picture of the ideal young woman, but she is my picture of the ideal girlfriend! And please, instead of us talking about Amitie like she isn't even here, let us address her by her name for crying out loud!”

“Raffina, where did this attitude come from?!” Raffina’s mother asked in shock.

“I apologize for that, I simply just wanted Amitie to be respected,” Raffina explained. “Now, Amitie, how do you feel about us being romantically involved after hearing this discourse?”

“I wanna be with you still, of course!” Amitie gushed with clear sincerity. “Even if your mom doesn't seem to like me, I wanna be with you! Yeah, I know you aren't amazing 100% of the time, but you're so nice to be around when you are nice!”

Raffina’s mother and father turned around to whisper. Amitie enjoyed a small piece of a baguette left out on a shiny plate while heated discussion was shared between Raffina’s parents. Amitie offered half of the piece to Raffina as a kind gesture. Raffina brushed a small part of hair back and bit into the piece Amitie held out for her. This was the one moment where the tension felt lessened during this entire discussion. Raffina felt nice getting to be close to Amitie this one time as it could be the last. Raffina’s parents turned around after about five minutes of tense whispering. They had reached a decision. That decision could change Raffina’s whole dynamic with Amitie. Raffina was understandably terrified of the result of her parent’s discussion.

“After much discussion,” Raffina’s mother grumbled. “We have decided to allow you two to remain in your relationship. Raffina, your father and I both value your wellbeing and we, begrudgingly, agree that this relationship is a key to that. Even if I do not like Amitie, I will allow you two to have your affair or whatever name you want to refer to it.”

“It's a romantic relationship,” Raffina corrected. “Amitie and I are dating, right?”

“Yep, Raffi!” Amitie confirmed.

“Now now, honey, this is not the time to belittle our daughter’s girlfriend,” Raffina’s father reminded his wife. “Amitie, please take care of my daughter well. I know she can be headstrong and stubborn at times, but she's a good young lady. I wish you two the best of experiences on your future dates.”

“Yep, I’ll be good to her, don't you worry!” Amitie replied. “Thanks for the bread; I really appreciate it!”

“Honey, that's a baguette, not just any bread,” Raffina corrected.

“Well, it's still bread!” Amitie stated. “Anyway, I’ll be going now! I need to get home soon!”

Amitie and Raffina stopped by Raffina’s room, so Amitie could change back into her normal clothes. Amitie began to take off the skirt, socks, and shoes while Raffina started on Amitie’s button up shirt. Raffina felt herself push her hands too hard against Amitie’s chest like the scum she was and immediately pulled her hands away from her girlfriend’s body. She gently undid the last button while almost hugging Amitie from behind. She wrapped her arms around Amitie’s waist after casting the shirt aside. Raffina got some sort of twisted joy from this, but most of what Raffina felt was closeness. She felt as though she could be open and close with someone after all this time. She could feel the warmth of Amitie’s body and the softness of Amitie’s skin in the embrace.

“I love you Amitie and am so glad we can be together,” Raffina announced to her love as she kissed Amitie’s neck as chastely as she could.

Raffina didn't want to let Amitie go. She felt a surge of intense attraction out of the blue and had to show it in some form. She handed Amitie back her normal shirt, sat down on the bed, and beckoned Amitie to her lap. After Amitie had put her shirt and shorts back on, she sat on Raffina’s lap. Raffina carefully untied the bow in Amitie’s hair as to not pull at it. Amitie was so cute, so it was nice to be physically close to her for a short time. When she got the ribbon off, Raffina gestured that she was about to get up. Amitie scooted back onto the bed, and Raffina straightened out her skirt.

Amitie had finished changing back, so Raffina let her out of the mansion through the greenhouse door. She strolled back to her room after the whole ordeal. She lay on the bed and took in the faint scent of strawberry left in the room. Raffina slipped under her bed covers and took a beauty nap. Dreams of happy days with Amitie happened to fill her subconscious.


	7. GTR and the Blood of the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raffina is busy in class learning about GTR. Then, lunch break provides a breath of relief for her along with the other tired students. Amitie and Raffina spend some quality time together during lunch before they start on the way to their date.

Amitie kicked her feet back and forth excitedly in class as Raffina jotted down the notes on the Great Tanaka Rensa setup. The placement seemed very specific for these Puyo; Raffina felt it was imperative to keep track of. There appeared to be an obvious weakness to garbage in this setup, making it extremely easy to quash with harassment. Raffina noted the weakness and raised her hand with a question. Was this just something she assumed was there or an actual flaw? Raffina wasn’t very sure about it.

“Yes, Raffina?” Ms. Accord responded. “What did you want to ask?”

“I have observed that the top area has a small gap for actually continuing the chain. Would this make the Great Tanaka Rensa setup vulnerable to garbage, especially harassment?” Raffina asked.

“Oh, an excellent observation!” Ms. Accord announced to the class. “I was just about to get to that. Yes, Great Tanaka Rensa, or GTR for short, is vulnerable to a small of garbage blocking the trigger piece. However, a solution many magic users who prefer this setup utilize is speed. If the trigger piece gap is made larger fast enough, garbage shouldn’t be as much of an issue. Of course, using your own harassment before your opponent can harass you is another way to resolve the issue, but that’s often slower.”*

“Hey, I was just about to say that!” Klug shouted from the back of the class.

“That’s great, Klug!” Ms. Accord replied. “I’m glad you understand the concept well enough to see that flaw as well.”

Ms. Accord continued explaining various chain methods that could be combined with GTR as Raffina wrote down everything that they would be tested on. Raffina kept feeling her eyes drifting away from her notes and towards Amitie. Amitie didn’t appear to be paying attention to anything in class, which was something Raffina normally had to hound on her for. Amitie watched the bird fluttering around outside the classroom. A beam of sunshine shined on her beautiful, blonde hair. A ray of sunshine shining on a ray of sunshine, isn’t that fascinating? Raffina couldn’t get enough of Amitie’s cute self just sitting there kicking her feet under the desk. Raffina’s brain drifted to the image of Amitie changing from when she was at Raffina’s house. Raffina shook her head and muttered a quiet “no” to herself as a way to keep her mind clean. Though, Amitie really was attractive aside from her abysmal fashion sense. Raffina’s body, while certainly something guys fawned over, was fit and slimmed. After all, how the hell would she win at any fights if she didn’t work out regularly? Despite her girly outfits skirts and knee socks, she certainly didn’t have the most feminine figure and knew it. Amitie, on the other hand, was curvier and just heavy enough where her body felt soft and squishy when they hugged. Raffina liked the way Amitie felt.

Ms. Accord began packing up her teaching materials for this lesson a couple minutes before the bell was supposed to ring. Amitie got up and started to pack up too. Raffina snapped back to reality from romantic and sensual fantasies. Ms. Accord said that the class was going to practice using GTR after lunch was over. Amitie grabbed Raffina’s hand and lunchbox and dragged her outside. They sat together at their signature spot: the stone bench near the fence. It was their own little secluded spot away from everyone else. They were way less likely to get into trouble for being cuddly over there. Amitie stood in front of Raffina shifting her weight on her feet as a way to release her energy.

“Hey, Raffiiii” Amitie greeted.

“Hello, Amitie,” Raffina replied. “What do you wish to say to me?”

“You know how you said we’d go out after your parents okay-ed it?”

“Yes, I do recall that.”

“Can we go out like today or something? I’ve been excited about it since I went over to your mansion!”

“It’s my parent’s mansion, but go off I guess…”

“Same difference! Anyway, where were you thinking about going anyway?”

“Perhaps the mall… There are plenty of things there that would look splendid on you, my dear~”

“Sure, if that works for you! After school?”

“I have to get home, so I can train with my magic pouchless for an hour or two. I don’t mind putting that off a few hours for you though~”

“Oh, yay!”

After their exchange, Raffina began to eat her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Amitie ate her lunch right next to her too. Even if it was just eating lunch, an extremely mundane activity, Raffina still felt really happy. Amitie’s presence just made life sweet like honey. Even the stupid hat Amitie wore that Raffina just wanted to throw into a lake was starting to grow on her for that very reason. Although, Amitie would definitely look better without the hat. She was absolutely going to attempt to find something better for her to wear after school. For now, she was just going to enjoy Amitie in whatever silly clothing she decided to wear. Raffina dug into her jelly container with the spoon after eating her sandwich. She took a taste of the jelly. It was sweet and flavorful as always. Just like the rest of her life, it was even sweeter to eat beside a person who did not despise her.

Sig walked over towards them. The area was farther away from the playground, so many bugs creeped and crawled around the fence. Sig didn’t want to bother the two of them. They were getting along. It was nice for Sig to see his friends genuinely happy together. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see an ant nest by the bench the two lovers sat on. He really wanted to make some new insect friends, so Sig stuck his hand on the ant hill and let the ants crawl all over his hand. They were so small compared to him, yet so mighty in that they could carry more than their own weight. Ants were cool!

Raffina saw the insects all over Sig’s left hand and almost gagged up her jelly. After a few more coughs, she felt better. She was repulsed by the sight of at least a hundred ants with the potential to bite scurrying across the arm of a person about an arm’s length away. Insects normally didn’t bother her, unless she was in the middle of eating. Sig let the ants crawl off his hand and turned to Raffina to offer an apology.

“Sorry, it’s hard to remember that you get sick when you see bugs in this situation,” Sig admitted. “Sorry if that bothered you a lot.”

“I understand Sig,” Raffina reassured. “Really, it’s fine.”

“Alright then, you two go have fun before it’s time to practice the stuff from class.”

“I hope you do to, Sig!”

Sig walked over to a different area near the fence and presumably played with his bug friends more. Raffina looked back over to Amitie to see her lover appeared confused.

“What is so confusing to you?” Raffina asked.

“I just don’t see you being nice to people that often,” Amitie answered. “You always make fun of Feli’s interest in… what’s it called?”

“Divination?” Raffina replied unsure.

“Yeah, that. You always push Lidelle away and yell at Klug. Not to mention how you always make fun of Tarutaru for his feelings for you, even before we were together. I like you and all, but you can be _really_ mean at times. I just figured you’d make fun of Sig’s hand or his fascination with bugs.”

“Excuse me, Amitie, but his hand is a badass fashion statement! Just look at it! It is cool as hell!! Also, while I do not like bugs, they appear to be the one thing to make him happy. He’s so emotionless otherwise… I’m not the kind of jerk to blow out the one light of joy in someone’s life, especially Sig!”

“But you make fun of Feli’s interest! That’s what makes her happy!”

“Divination is generally stupid, and she can get the same joy from bullying Klug. We all can. Klug is so self-absorbed; he deserves that. At least I know that I’m pathetic.”

“You’re not pathetic! Look, I don't really know exactly where I was trying to take this. I think the point I was attempting to make is that you shouldn't be so mean to people. Don't you want people to like you?”

“They shouldn't like me if I can't like my personality!”

There was an awkward silence. Raffina never really let out her insecurity. Klug made fun of her every time she did something wrong, and her brain just amplified the insults. She couldn't admit the insults cut through her soft skin like a combat knife and caused her soul to bleed. Mocking him back was the only bandage she knew, and that never truly stopped the blood. She couldn’t let Amitie see the scratches of insults on her. Amitie would hate her for being so weak! Though, she already had. Raffina had peeled back those bandages by accident already. She was ready to be despised. That was just the course of interaction.

“Hey, you're not perfect, but don't be so mean to yourself,” Amitie consoled her. “You are mean, that's true, but you seem to care a lot about me and Sig. You shouldn't hate yourself, even if you make terrible mistakes.”

Amitie pulled Raffina into a gentle hug. Amitie stroked her lover’s fluffy hair and held her close.

“You're okay just the way you are, honey. Okay?”

Raffina accepted the hug and played with Amitie’s decorative belt. The jingling noise the buckle made when flicked was strangely soothing. She was honestly shocked Amitie was still being so nice to her. Honestly, this lovely ray of sunshine deserved a nicer partner than Raffina. She already understood that. Although, Amitie smiled when she was around. That smile might not stay so cheery if Raffina decided to leave. She figured staying with Amitie would be best for her despite Raffina’s own personal faults. Besides, having her hair played with felt amazing.

The school bell loudly interrupted the moment. Raffina and Amitie packed up their lunches. Then, they spent some time practicing GTR in the play yard. Klug, obviously, was the first person who reached the six chain goal set by Ms. Accord. Raffina finished shortly after him and helped Amitie with hers. Eventually, everyone managed to hit the goal, and the class was dismissed shortly after. Raffina took Amitie by the hand and off to the mall they headed.

*I am not a Puyo expert who actually has any clue how to effectively use GTR and harassment in gameplay myself. I am simply going off what I have heard from tutorials on GTR as well as harassment and what I can see from the way this stuff often goes during gameplay. Please do not attack me with pitchforks and torches because I may have made a mistake here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnggff GTR hard, I can't Puyo, please don't murder me. Also, I had to basically start part of this chapter from scratch because Raffina was being particularly annoying ahhhggh.


	8. A Date at a Mall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raffina and Amitie spend some quality time together on a date to the mall. They visit a couple shops and just hang out like girlfriends do I guess.

Amitie and Raffina managed to walk all the way to the mall after about an hour. The building appeared multiple stories high for sure. The sunlight moderately reflected off the glass roof of the enormous complex. While Amitie gaped in awe at the gargantuan mall complex, Raffina seemed hardly phased. Raffina tried to walk in casually, but Amitie tugged her arm to stop.

“Hey, do you really think it’s a good idea to go in a place this big?!” Amitie exclaimed. “I’d probably get lost in there!”

“I’ve gone here often enough where it’s no problem,” Raffina answered. “I mean, this is a super regional complex, so it is far larger than the standard mall. However, there are guides around the place if you do get lost. Plus, if you really don’t know what to do, I wouldn’t mind if you screamed my name out~”

“Alright, if you say so…” Amitie hesitated. “So, uh, let’s go then…”

“Would holding my hand make you feel better?”

“Yeah…”

Amitie extended her hand to Raffina. Raffina grasped her lover’s hand and could feel her soft, smooth hand. They opened the door to see a variety of clothing around them and many different shops barely visible in front of them. Amitie gasped at the sheer size of the place, but Raffina just walked impatiently in a set direction with Amitie grasping her hand tightly. They exited the anchor department store and their shoes touched the blue and white tiles that covered the floor of the mall. Amitie yanked Raffina’s arm as they walked past a quaint flower shop. Raffina paused and stared into Amitie’s longing puppy dog eyes. Raffina sighed and strolled into the store hand-in-hand with Amitie. 

The scent of barely living flowers filled Raffina’s sense of smell after walking into the small shop. Amitie let Raffina’s hand go and began to scan the flowers. Raffina walked over to where Amitie was standing. A bouquet of violets and buttercups. The colors appeared nice together to Raffina. She noticed a flower pot with large orange flowers sitting over near some small white flowers. She checked the label to see that the plants were canna lilies. Their shape was certainly fascinating; the shape of its center ended up recalling some strange mental images, vulgar images at that. She continued to look around the flowers, specifically the oleander flowers next to the lilies, but the image of a flower like the canna lily remained in the back of her mind. Amitie was flowery but not in the sense of being eloquent. She was lively like a blooming flower and helpful like all plants keeping the cycle of the world clean. Although, flowers needed to be pollinated to continue on. Living creatures needed to engage in reproduction or something similar; it was a drive often buried deep in themselves. It was certainly buried deep within Raffina. It was not the time to act on it, as the fruit trees had yet to bear their fruit, and neither of them had yet to reach the maturity necessary for this act.

Amitie’s gentle tap on the shoulder snapped Raffina out of her thought chain. She dragged Raffina over to a bouquet of lavender roses and lilies of the valley. The color of the roses was so charming, like her lover who pointed her toward them.

“Wow! Aren’t they pretty, Raffina?!” Amitie asked.

“They’re not nearly as beautiful as you, my dear~” Raffina purred softly in a lower voice.

She has absolutely nailed that opportunity. Flirtiness was something she’d always wanted to try with a powerful Prince Charming. She had never realized Amitie was going to be the first person she would be playful around.

“Aww, thanks Raffi!” Amitie said with gratitude.

“Would you like me to get them for you?” Raffina asked. “They’ll perish eventually, but they’ll be gorgeous for the time they are here.”

Flowers are like life in that regard. A flower wilts just like a human life ends. Treasuring both before they escaped our weak grasp was the only way to have any fun. Raffina’s insecurity and insults tied her hands up so they could never even hope to feel the petals of the flowers in the field around her. She was so lucky one managed to brush across her face and be caught in her teeth. She was fortunate to have Amitie’s affections, and she was going to hold onto that until the day she breathed last. Humans and plants weren’t so dissimilar after all.

“Yeah, I’d love that! Is that too much? I thought you were going to get me some clothes too. I don’t wanna make you spend too much on me. That’ll probably make your parents mad…”

“Nah, I work to earn points through Puyo matches on my own on the weekends through play tournaments. I think Feli does that too to get money for her tarot cards. I certainly see her there often and kick her to the curbside. It’s not super effective compared to begging for money, but my parents would get furious if I constantly asked for money.”

“Wait, so the money you spent on the Fire Birds during that project was your own? It wasn’t lent by your parents?!”

“Yeah, I made that through fighting in a small competition held at the ruins. I didn’t win, but I placed second. The rest I couldn’t get through that, I played against Feli. I won our little bets.”

“Oh that’s cool, so are you gonna get around to buying the flowers or-“

“Oh, right. I need to grab those for you, love.”

Raffina grabbed the bouquet and placed it by the register. The older lady managing the store rang up the item. She extended her hand, expecting Raffina to hand over the 40 points the flower cost. Raffina reached for her point notes, but then Amitie put 15 points on the checkout desk. Raffina nodded and handed over the remaining 25 points, and they purchased the flowers. The woman handed the flowers back to Raffina. They smelled sweet in her hands, and the petals felt soft to the touch. She handed the bouquet over to Amitie. Amitie beamed while she took a whiff of the lavender roses and lilies of the valley. She hugged Raffina and whispered a quiet “thank you” into Raffina’s ear, even though Amitie helped pay for it. The lady operating the cash register hoped wish them a nice day. They walked back onto the tiled ground after purchasing such beautiful flowers.

Amitie held her girlfriend’s hand as they walked down the path. Raffina appeared to lead the way. Amitie didn’t mind. Raffina seemed to know what she’s doing. She always seemed to have a plan of some sort. Amitie admired that. Amitie rubbed her thumb on the back of Raffina’s hand. Raffina appeared to tense up slightly at the touch. Raffina was so sensitive! Amitie loved it every time Raffina tensed up or held back her breath in an attempt to hide her passion. So refined yet so heated over affection! She just wanted to kiss her, even though Raffina wasn’t always the most pleasant person to be around. She stopped thinking about that as they continued to walk. She strolled past a food court, a carousel, and a small children’s indoor playground. All of those things looked kinda fun to her. She did want to see all the fashionable stuff Raffina talked about. Soon, a packed clothing store soon came into Amitie’s sight. The clothes, specifically dresses, were sure interesting. Amitie had never seen stuff with the volume of those dresses. Raffina directed her into the store.

Raffina immediately rushed to grab a ruffled pink and white dress with a bow near the chest that caught her attention. She realized she forgot something and hurried back to grab a petticoat and white bloomers. Amitie appeared confused at all this. Raffina handed Amitie the dress and began to scour the sections for something else for her. A dress with a sailor theme, a gray dress with a very basic black bow near the chest, and a ruffled white and lacy dress piled up on Amitie’s lap as Raffina looked through the store. Raffina urged Amitie hurriedly behind the changing curtain. Raffina started to help Amitie strip down to try on the outfits. Raffina got such a rush from seeing her girlfriend like this, but shut herself up in an effort to seem more normal.

“I meant to ask you this earlier, but what is all this stuff?” Amitie asked.

“Oh, lolita dresses,” Raffina answered. “You’re the cutesy type, so I figured these would look nice on you as opposed to the wrecked color wheel you are wearing now.”

“Hey, I like what I’m wearing!” Amitie countered.

“It’s alright and all… I just think you’d be so much prettier in this stuff. Come on, why don’t you try it on?”

“All this stuff is so confusing! Where do I start?!”

“That’s why I’m in here. I can help you with all this. I’ve worn these kinds of dresses before. Well, not like the ones I picked out for you… it was just a sailor lolita thing… but anyway.”

Raffina pulled down Amitie’s shorts carefully after unfastening her belt. She averted her eyes from what was left in the open and handed Amitie the bloomers. Amitie put them on, then looked back desperately at Raffina for a hint as to what to do next. Raffina helped Amitie put on the petticoat. Raffina’s hands touched Amitie’s appealing hips in the middle of helping by accident. Amitie’s whole body was appealing to Raffina, every little inch of it. It would be even more appealing in an adorable lolita dress. Raffina couldn’t really help herself and snuck a quick kiss on Amitie’s neck as she pulled the petticoat up where it would stay. Amitie smiled back at her after this and pet Raffina’s hair affectionately in return. Raffina handed Amitie the pink and white dress and let her pull it over her head. Raffina adjusted the bow. Amitie stared in the mirror at the dress and moved around to make her skirt flutter up a bit. She kept looking at herself for a moment longer.

“Well, do you like it?” Raffina asked.

“Yeah, it’s super pretty!” Amitie bubbled. “I love all the pink and ruffles so much!”

“You’re more stunning than the dress could ever hope to be, my dear~”

“Oh, thanks! So… how much is this going to cost anyway?”

“Oh my dear Amitie, don’t worry about it. I’ll buy it for you if you really like it that much.”

“That’s nice of you!”

A woman working at the store appeared to notice Raffina and Amitie both behind the curtain. She told them off for being in there together and asked them politely to have the one not trying on clothing leave. Raffina apologized and sat down next to the curtain, waiting patiently for Amitie to come out in the other dresses. Amitie was cute in all of them when Raffina got to see her in the dresses. The first dress seemed to be the one Amitie preferred the most. Raffina went to go pick out some matching stockings and mary jane flats to go along with the dress. Amitie threw the stuff Raffina also grabbed up onto the checkout counter. It all totaled to several hundred points, but Raffina really didn’t really seem to mind paying for all of it. She just wanted to see Amitie in something cuter than the spilled paint bucket look her normal outfit had. Plus, the stupid hat continued to get on her nerves, and this was a good excuse to get her to stop wearing that. Raffina gave up the money she needed to pay for the dress items.

As they walked out of the store, Amitie’s stomach growled loud enough for Raffina to hear. Raffina decided to walk back over to the food court. Amitie went and purchased her own food: a grilled cheese sandwich. Basic taste was all Amitie had. Raffina sat at a table for two across from Amitie. Raffina kept track of Amitie’s bag with the dress stuff in it as her girlfriend ate the sandwich. It was only a couple minutes until she completely finished. She threw away the paper plate it was on and grabbed Raffina’s hand. Raffina got dragged along this time with the lolita dress in the bag she gripped. Raffina ended up by the carousel. Of course Amitie wanted to take a ride! Amitie begged Raffina to come with her. She explained to Amitie that carousels made her feel sickened and dizzy. Raffina felt like a weak coward admitting she couldn’t handle a mere children’s ride, but the darned things with their loud music and constant spinning made her feel as though she would vomit if she stayed on for more than a minute. Amitie nodded in understanding and paid to get on. She excitedly giggled and cheered as Raffina watched her sit on the spinning white horse. The horses appeared to bounce up and down like energetic rabbits as they circled around the carousel base. Amitie got off when the ride winded to a halt. 

They walked back over to the exit to see the sun had lowered in the sky, and clouds filled the vast heavens. Raffina stepped aside by a small corner that was hard to notice. Amitie followed her after seeing her move over there suddenly. As soon as Amitie ended up over there, Raffina hugged her tightly. Amitie could feel Raffina’s heavy breath on her neck in the embrace.

“I love you so much,” Raffina purred into Amitie’s ear. “Today was so much fun, Ami~”

Amitie felt Raffina’s soft lips press up against her own right after those words were muttered. Raffina was rougher than she was, both in fights and in affection, strangely enough. Amitie could feel Raffina’s arms tightly wrapped around her waist as Raffina attempted clumsily to tease her.

“Raffi, that’s my thing!” Amitie said playfully. “If someone’s gonna do it, that’s me!”

Amitie pulled her lips away from Raffina. Her eyes appeared longing without the closeness from before. Gently and slowly, Amitie kissed Raffina while playing with her hair. Raffina’s frenzied breath touched her lips as delicately as she touched her lover’s lips. Amitie could tell Raffina was fired up. Her body felt so much warmer than normal. Her cheeks were especially warm, like the sand of a sprawling beach on a hot summer day. Her eyes were wide as Amitie decided to transition to a full lip lock. It wasn’t much, but it always felt nice. What was Raffina getting so excited about, anyway? It was just a kiss. Nothing special here. Raffina’s hug on her waist became tighter, as if she were bracing for something overwhelming. Amitie stroked Raffina’s neck lightly. Unexpectedly, Amitie heard a loud moan come from Raffina at the slight touch of her neck. Oh no! Amitie must have hurt her to cause that. Amitie could feel Raffina’s fingers digging into her waist. That must have been painful if she was reacting like this!

“Raffina, are you okay!?” Amitie asked shocked as she pulled back from Raffina. “Did I hurt you?!”

Raffina covered her mouth after that. Amitie felt like she must have accidentally bitten Raffina’s lip. That must hurt if that’s what happened.

“What, no!” Raffina answered. “I’m fine, why would you think tha-“

Raffina seemed to have a realization mid-sentence. Amitie wondered what that could be.

“Right, I forgot you were so innocent, unlike me…” Raffina muttered, ashamed of what happened.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘innocent’?!”

“Oh, I would never want to strip that away from my dear, sweet lover. Unless she were a little older of course~”

“Seriously Raffina, you’re being so vague! Why won’t you just tell me!?”

“There are a million reasons I could give as to why, but it’s best if I don’t specify.”

Raffina searched for any excuse to change subjects. She didn’t want to taint Amitie’s innocence with her own stupid desire. Why couldn’t she stop that one little noise?! It caused her so much awkward tension! Why did she feel like she had a hundred pound weight tied between her legs every time they kissed?! Why was she such a nasty freak! Amitie would most certainly hate Raffina over this with even the most surface level understanding of the emotion behind that noise! She had to keep her in the dark. Otherwise, Amitie would leave her faster than a Fever Bird granted the Fever state! She felt such strong guilt over her own perversion every time it interfered with life. She hated being the way she was in multiple regards, and this was certainly one of those.

“Well, it’s getting late, Amitie,” Raffina mentioned. “You should probably start on your way home.”

“Goodbye, Raffi!!” Amitie said cheerfully.

“Farewell, Amitie,” Raffina replied. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

After Amitie was out of sight, Raffina began her walk home alongside her thoughts. Regret for spoiling Amitie and making that noise during that kiss loomed over Raffina. A positive thought kicked those to the curbside as she continued to walk: at least she might see Amitie in the dress at school. That would be delightful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnngggg I could have made the kiss scene awful but I made it less awful. I have some mercy. Also, lolita dresses are awesome as hell! Why didn’t I know about them until them a day or two ago?


	9. Upcoming Evaluation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raffina gets into an argument with Klug. After hearing her punishment for the quarrel is a quiz, Raffina studies with Amitie during lunch time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly just want to finish up this section, so I can make a beach chapter. I’ve been dying to do that for months now.

Raffina accidentally kicked her alarm clock after the sound of a handbell startled her awake. Her dream was so sweet, why did she have to wake up? Oh right, school. Raffina attempted to get up out of bed, only to fall out onto her carpeted floor. Her face ended up right beside her shoes on the floor. She groaned loudly, frustrated by the sleep in her eyes and mind that made moving around a difficult task. She rubbed the sleepers out of her eyes and managed to get up off the floor. She dug around in her closet and found her standard school uniform. Normally, Raffina was fairly graceful and dignified. However, she felt very lethargic because of her mind being stuck on the dream she was having. It felt almost as if her mind was stuck in ethereal fog while her body navigated the clear as crystal path of reality. A strange feeling, it was. Before getting dressed, Raffina stared at her barely covered body in the mirror. She couldn’t stand the more masculine look of her figure compared to Amitie. She had a beautiful face, of course. She just wished she could be physically strong while appearing much more curvy and feminine. She despised the desperate eyes that stared her back in the mirror. She was pathetically desperate for attention. She could see the weakness in her own eyes, the magic deficiency in her hands. She could see the insecurity in her expression. What a pathetic expression it was. Just how Amitie could like this despicable expression was a total mystery. Her parents were ashamed of her as is for dating a commoner and for having weak magic. She clothed herself tiredly. Then, she took her bag and began her walk towards Primp Magic School.

When Raffina arrived in the classroom, she saw Amitie talking with Feli. Amitie’s body was clothed in the ruffled pink and white dress purchased on their date. The petticoat was crooked, which really bugged Raffina, but otherwise, Amitie appeared absolutely stunning in the dress. Klug walked in shortly after Raffina and gawked at the sight of Amitie in different clothes than usual. He walked up to Amitie to ask what was going on.

“Amitie, what is that you’re wearing?” Klug asked.

“Oh, it’s a lolita dress…” Feli replied before Amitie had the chance to respond. “I think that’s classic lolita. Not sure since I only really care about goth.”

“Ahh… th-thank you… F-f-feli…” Klug stammered. “So, Amitie, where did you get that, anyway?”

Raffina sighed. She didn’t want to be pointed out as the type to wear those types of dresses. The whole idea of being modern and trendy that people saw in her would be thrown out the window. She had to accept it. Amitie wouldn’t lie about something as mundane as this. Oh well…

“Raffina got it for me yesterday!” Amitie answered happily. “Isn’t it pretty?”

“Ah… Wait, Raffina?” Klug responded confusedly. “She would wear stuff like this?! Her dykey looking self would certainly look like an absolute mess with that sort of thing on, hah!”

“Who the hell are you calling a dyke, you pompous prick?!” Raffina fumed. “I’ll bludgeon that sorry ass of yours with that stupid book you always have under your arm if you _ever_ call me that again!!

“Now, now, Raffina, no need to get angry; I just pointed out the shape of your body,” Klug quipped. 

“Motherfu-“ Raffina growled as she approached Klug, only to be held back by Amitie.

“Raffi, calm down please!” Amitie cut in. “I don’t want to have you two get into a fight. It’s first thing in the morning, why can’t you two just be quiet for that long?”

“He called me a dyke!” Raffina yelled with indignation. “And he insulted some form of my fashion sense, like he has any fu- I mean, freaking clue how that’s supposed to work!” 

Amitie’s arms slipped around the lower half of Raffina’s chest. She could feel the weight on her chest shifted up as Amitie tightly hugged her from behind. Raffina could smell the scent of strawberries and could feel the soft cloth of the dress against her back. Amitie brushed back the hair near Raffina’s ear.

“Shhhhh, come on sweetie, let’s save the yelling for our spells,” Amitie whispered while hugging Raffina.

“A-alright, Amitie,” Raffina stuttered as she felt her cheeks flush red.

“And now you’re letting Amitie hug you like that?” Klug commented. “Aren’t you supposed to be the cold, prim and proper girl? And the moment a girl you think of cute hugs you, your attitude suddenly changes. What a hypocritical, irksome loser, heh.”

“Klug, please don’t anger her and stop calling her names,” Amitie politely requested. “We don’t want to have a fight right now.”

“Students, what on earth is going on?” Ms. Accord asked after seeing Amitie holding back Raffina and Klug snickering at her.

Lidelle walked quietly over to Ms. Accord to explain the argument she had just witnessed. Ms. Accord sighed in disappointment. She turned to Klug, Raffina, and Amitie. Her eyes met Raffina’s with a stern glare.

“Now, please let us step outside the classroom to discuss punishments,” Ms. Accord demanded with as much courteousness as possible in this situation.

Klug tapped his foot nervously in the hallway. Raffina could tell the terror of punishment ran up his chilled spine. He was supposed to be the teacher's pet, or so he bragged about that. Getting a punishment would ruin all his little dreams. That serves him right after the sharp insults he spat out. Raffina was only reactionary with her insults, while Klug was carelessly cruel. It would finally circle right around to bite him in the ass. Ms. Accord walked out into the hallway shortly after greeting the rest of the class. She stood in front of the three of them, her height and expression incredibly intimidating.

“Klug, did you call Raffina that word?” Ms. Accord asked.

“Which one?” Klug asked in return. 

The bastard was going to play dumb, oh?

“Dyke,” Ms. Accord clarified. “Do you realize this word is a slur? Those words discriminate based on various characteristics and traits of an individual. They can cut down to the identity of a person, especially that which they cannot control. Klug, do you understand how what you have said hurt Raffina?”

“Yes…I was attempting to describe her more unladylike figure, but I see how it sounded like that,” Klug grumbled.

“And, Raffina, please understand that the use of profanity in defending your ‘honor’ or however you may wish to phrase it is not warranted,” Ms. Accord stated. “You should know this after getting into trouble for it this many times.”

“Yes, I understand Ms. Accord,” Raffina groaned. “I’ll accept whatever punishment you deem fit.”

“Both you and Klug will have to stay after school to clean up the classroom and take an extra quiz on what we have been studying,” Ms. Accord explained. “I would prefer Amitie to keep watch over you; however, she has done nothing wrong to require her staying after school. Amitie, would you mind keeping an eye on them to ensure they do not get into a fight?”

“No problem, miss!” Amitie answered. “I’m happy to help out!”

“Alright, why don’t you all head to class?” Ms. Accord suggested. “After all, I do need to start my lesson. Oh and, Amitie, your dress is lovely.”

“Thanks!” Amitie replied. 

The three of them walked back into the classroom and sat down. Raffina’s face was plastered with a smirk of satisfaction knowing Klug got into trouble for the first time. Finally, the teacher’s pet had been tossed from his cage! The sweet feeling of karma in action filled Raffina’s mind as the teacher began to discuss harassment. She explained the use of the technique to block the opponent’s chain as Raffina stared Amitie. The dress looked so nice on her. Raffina just wanted to straighten out the messed up petticoat and kiss her cheek. Raffina felt herself spacing off into thoughts about how Amitie would look in other fashionable things while Ms. Accord continued to discuss harassment. Ms. Accord hit Raffina’s desk with her cane, and Raffina suddenly felt herself yanked back into reality. She was going to get quizzed at the end of the day. She couldn’t afford to slack off on notes. Raffina’s quill glided across her notebook paper, transforming the ink in the jar into crude sketches of Puyo formations and nuisance placements with notes written in cursive scattered around the sketches. The feathered end of her quill brushed across her nose several times and made her feel as though she were about to sneeze while she was jotting down the words from Ms. Accord’s mouth and blackboard. 

Eventually, the bell’s jingle sounded like harps from heaven to Raffina, whose hand was beginning to cramp from note taking. She took her notebook and lunchbox out to the play yard. She and Amitie sat on the secluded stone bench by the fence. Raffina unzipped her lunchbox to see her grilled cheese sandwich. She unwrapped the sandwich and took a taste of it. As she swallowed a piece of her sandwich down, Amitie tapped her on the shoulder with a solemn look on her face.

“Hey Raffina, what’s a ‘dyke’?” Amitie asked. “Klug kinda called you that, and you got really mad at him? Is it really bad?”

“Uh… well… it is just a really cruel way of saying a girl only likes other girls.” Raffina mumbled. “The proper term most people feel comfortable using I believe is ‘lesbian’. I am not one, for I have genuinely adored the idea of being intimate with a Prince Charming.”

“Oh… good to know…” Amitie commented. “So… would I be a lesbiun?”

“Have you felt love for only girls?”

“Yeah, you. You’re pretty and stuff. Though, Sig has been really nice, charming, cool, and likeable…”

“If you have liked Sig, maybe it is too soon to throw any labels onto you then. Labels are a silly restriction anyway. I never really call myself ‘bisexual’ for that reason. It just feels so restraining if I want to settle down in a relationship.”

“Alright, that’s interesting!”

“And Amitie, please do not cheat on me with Sig if you still love him… I will be sure to have my insides feel twisted and bled from the emotional pain of betrayal.”

“Why would I?! I love you! Why would I just toss that away to attempt with Sig?!”

“Perhaps you think Sig is a nice, charming, cool, and likable, more so than me.”

“I do like him, but you’re great in your own way. I wouldn’t just abandon you on a whim!”

“Hmmmm, alright.”

Raffina continued to eat her sandwich after the discussion ended. Amitie ate her peanut butter and jelly sandwich slowly as the gentle breeze tossed her hair around. Raffina began to review her notes after eating her food. It all looked like a scribbled, confusing mess upon a glance back at what she wrote. Raffina stared with an empty expression at her notes. She felt frustrated at everything. Klug’s stupid mouth had gotten her into trouble. She was honestly pissed off about that. The fact she had to take a quiz later didn’t help that. She sighed in frustration and tried to look at her jumbled notes to evade her inevitable failure.

“Need help with your notes?” Amitie asked.

“Coming from the below average student?” Raffina quipped. “Just because I love you doesn’t mean you’re the pinnacle of intelligence to me. Tarutaru would be a better study partner, and he’s a stupid creep.”

“Well, uh, wanna discuss the topics with me? Maybe talking about it’ll help you remember."

“Perhaps that could help. That idea actually isn’t garbage.”

Raffina squinted at her notes. She began to talk about harassment and its use in blocking set ups. Amitie started to ask questions about when the best time to use it is and if it interferes with her stair chain set ups. Sure, this was probably just Amitie being slow, but it was useful to give out information while put on the spot. She was still completely terrified of the extra quiz. She’d never hear the end of it from Klug if she got a bad grade on it. Klug always adored bragging whenever he did something right. Raffina wasn’t sure if it was his almost obsessive desire with the Comet Warlock, Lemres, that was making him want to show off or if it was just his massive ego. Whenever he wasn’t trying to mock Raffina, it seemed all he talked about was Lemres. Raffina was fairly certain he was interested in Lemres for more than his magic. She wouldn’t even be surprised if Klug had adolescent dreams about Lemres like the ones she had about Amitie. She hated whenever she woke up after having one of those nasty dreams. She visibly shuddered at the thought of what her subconscious had generated while she continued to talk about harassment to Amitie.

“Raffina, are you alright?” Amitie asked. “You seem a little upset.”

“I am perfectly well,” Raffina answered. “I just remembered something that was moderately unpleasant. It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”

“Well, I think lunch is almost over. Wanna just end the talk on harassment?”

“That seems to be the appropriate course of action.”

Raffina packed up her lunchbox and rested her head on Amitie’s shoulder while waiting for the bell to ring. The bell resounded through the play yard. Raffina got up and headed to class. The whole period felt like it dragged on, but Raffina managed to get through it. The final bell rang out. The students ran out of class, all except for Klug, Amitie, and Raffina. Ms. Accord handed out the quizzes, and the room fell silent.


	10. Classroom Cleanup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a test on Puyo strategies, Raffina and Klug clean up the classroom with Amitie there to watch them. Needless to say, Raffina and Klug butt heads quite a lot while sprucing up Ms. Accord’s classroom.

The sound of the ticking clock and the frantic scribbling of Raffina’s pen were all that could be heard in the tense classroom. Klug didn’t write just yet. It seemed as though the contemptuous bastard wanted to review the questions all together before answering. Going straight ahead would be so much faster, but a studious bookworm would certainly know that, right? Raffina looked at the chain set up: a small and cluttered GTR based chain. It had a small trigger space that couldn’t be quickly set off, so it would obviously only need a two chain to sufficiently block it. She continued to stare at the different formations and determined the length of chain to use in harassment and why. Actually using the concept was so much easier than reviewing notes. What was she even afraid of? This quiz was a piece of strawberry shortcake! She reached a section where she had to draw up a useable harassment chain on a fairly long GTR based chain. There wasn’t much room to work with, but she managed to get something done. She was honestly just ready for the strategy unit to end, so the magic spells themselves were more of a focus like in years prior. Raffina double checked her answers one last time before She handed the quiz to Ms. Accord and reclined on her desk. Raffina gave Klug a smug stare and chuckled to herself.

Klug turned in his test about 10 minutes after Raffina. He sat back down quietly and sighed in relief.

“What took you so long, slithery slimy bookworm?” Raffina quipped. “I thought you had more brain than brawn. Seems you’re a bit slow, huh?”

“Shut up, Raffina,” Klug growled. “Faster does not mean better. I actually sat and thought about the problems. I bet the only thing running through your little head was thoughts of all the licentious acts you want to engage in with Amitie!”

“How dare you accuse me of being a filthy pervert!!” Raffina yelled. “I sat and thought about the problems just as you did, just not at the pace of a snail in slow motion!”

“Guys, can you stop arguing?” Amitie interrupted. “I don’t want to hear you insulting each other! Plus, you still have to clean up the room!”

“Fine, I’ll lay off my insults for you, my dear…” Raffina gave in. “Here, I’ll move the desks since the bookworm is moderately scrawny.”

“She said no insults, Raffina,” Klug observed.

“I was simply stating your physique cannot even begin to compare to my fighting-fit and fabulous figure, ohohoho~” Raffina corrected while she easily lifted a desk onto her shoulder to carry it.

“Your figure is more boyish than beautiful,” Klug stated. “Most men like curvy women. At least that’s what all the covers of fashion magazines I walk by in the library seem to indicate. That’s just my observation of a pattern, no need to get butthurt over it.”

“Who cares what people use for models in magazines?!” Raffina replied after setting the desk down by the blackboard. “If they had someone with my figure on the cover, the clothes would be awfully hard to focus on, now wouldn’t they?”

“You say that while having a girlfriend that falls onto the curvy end of things relative to you,” Klug noted.

“Oh, shut up Klug!” Raffina yelled as she lifted up two desks into her shoulders. “Why don’t you try lifting these desks, huh?!”

“Raffi, come on,” Amitie added. “Even if other people have different preferences, you’re really pretty to me. Plus, you can do a lot others can’t because of your fitness, like fight super well or lift heavier things!”

“Alright, I’ll stop…” Raffina begrudgingly agreed. “Klug, could you go get the feather duster and deal with the bookshelves in the back? I’m a bit busy moving the desks for mopping. Oh, speaking of which, get the mop for me, alright?”

“I’m not just one of your servants you can boss around, Raffina,” Klug mentioned.

“Fine, PLEASE get me a mop and clean the bookshelves,” Raffina groaned. “Are you happy now?”

“Yes, a bit,” Klug responded.

Raffina continued to move the desks while Klug walked off to the janitorial closet for the cleaning supplies. While she was moving Tarutaru’s desk, a note slipped out of it. She picked it up and read it. The date on the corner of the note was the day before the Fire Bird quest.

_Dear Raffine,_

_Although you do not appear to reciprocate these feelings for me, I would like to say I love you dearly. Your eyes are beautiful like the ocean in the midst of summer. Your hair is swirly like cotton candy yet still soft and silky. Your figure is absolutely stunning, and I wish I could hold a beautiful young woman such as yourself in a loving embrace. Your breasts are absolutely lovely. Their size is perfectly fitting with your appealing figure. Your torso, waist, and hips are all perfectly proportioned. Really, you are quite magnificent. Although I would like to note, I wish to go out with you, not just because I am completely enamored with your appearance but with your personality too. Your boldness and diligence are admirable traits. Oh, Raffine, I adore every inch of you, even down to the scent of your jasmine perfume. Please accept this humble confession of my love, so a relationship can flower with love and devotion. I truly admire and desire you, sweet princess of Primp Town._

_Sincerely, Tarutaru~_

A love letter? God dammit, Tarutaru was planning on giving this to Raffina after the magic project. Thank goodness he found Amitie and her kissing, or she would have had to tell the creep off in person. She now planned to read this to Tarutaru in person aloud just to spite him. Seriously, who compliments a woman’s breasts before even becoming their friend, let alone lover?! Raffina was outraged at the contents of the note, but she chuckled to herself about the possibilities holding this against Tarutaru held.

“Hey, whatcha laughing about?” Amitie asked while walking over to her.

“Tarutaru wrote an embarrassing love letter for me,” Raffina stated. “Honestly, I’d cry for the man’s pathetic failure if he wasn’t such a creep.”

“I get he’s weird, but he’s done nothing to earn you calling him a creep,” Amitie added.

Raffina handed Amitie the letter to read. Amitie grasped while reading the paper. Then, she handed it back to Raffina scratching her head.

“He really wrote that?” Amitie asked confused. “I never thought anyone would be such a weirdo to say that sort of thing…”

“Right? You do not directly compliment the, um, ‘lumps’ of a woman without at least kissing her first. It’s creepy.”

“I was more thinking about the fact he knows what you smell like without ever touching you.”

“Still! What a freak!”

Raffina huffed a sigh of exasperation while she lifted up a couple of desks and moved them to the back. Amitie picked up a few loose papers left on the ground, sorted through them, and threw some of them away. She slipped the note into her pouch while moving desks and chairs. By the time Klug walked back into the classroom, all of the desks and chairs were in one corner by the black board. He held a mop, dustpan, broom, feather duster, and wipes.

“I got everything you asked for and more,” Klug notified her. “Now, why don’t you get mopping?”

“I need a bucket first,” Raffina explained. “I forgot to mention that. Well, Amitie, can you go fetch the bucket from the janitorial closet? You know where that is, right?”

“Yeah, but Ms. Accord wanted me to keep you two out of a fight,” Amitie calmly objected.

“I can leave the bookworm alone while he dwells amongst his kind,” Raffina claimed. “I have work to do, anyway. Hey, Mr. Goody Two Shoes, PLEASE toss me one of those wipes. I’m going to clean off the windows.”

“Why do I put up with your sour attitude?” Klug asked while he tossed the wipes to her. “You’re honestly a horrible person. Heck, how does anyone?”

“Um… um… uh… b-because you’d get in trouble with Ms. Accord if you didn’t??” Raffina unsurely retorted. “Yeah, you wouldn’t want your little teacher’s pet leash ripped off because of a ‘horrible person’ like me!”

“Sure, Raffina. Go off insulting me while you’ve seen all the times your bloody ego has ruined your social life. Go tell yourself how much you matter like the rich jerk you are. No one wants to hear it either way.”

Raffina huffed out and made a circular motion with her wipe across the window. She could see the edges of the nearby forest through the window. The place was magnificent. The beauty of nature couldn’t distract her from Klug’s words. His comment actually got to her and hard. He saw straight through her ego. He knew she hated herself. He was just as petty and irritating as her, but he was actually intelligent and talented. She had to rely on a magic pouch to avoid being the laughing stock of her class. He was right, there was a reason the only people who liked her were a perverted freak, the silly ditzy girl who tries to make friends with everyone, and the boy who cares more about food and bugs than her. She rubbed the glass of the first window completely until it was clean with the heavy feeling of insecurity looming over her. By the time Raffina finished cleaning the window, she felt ashamed of herself for her horrid personality. Amitie walked in soon after holding a bucket full of soapy water.

“Hey, sweetie, I got you the bucket!” Amitie cheered. “I hope this is helpful to you!”

“Oh, Amitie?” Raffina noticed. “Thanks. I, uh, appreciate it. Could you wipe off the blackboard for me? It’ll take me a little while to mop the floors and for Klug to clean the bookshelves and sort the books.”

“Sorry, Raffi, Ms. Accord said you two have to clean the classroom, not me! I’d help if this wasn’t a punishment.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I keep forgetting that you weren’t assigned to do that with us. Sorry there’s nowhere you can sit because I have to sweep and mop. You can lean on the wall over by the windows.”

“No, it’s fine, I can just stand here and talk with ya while you clean up.”

Amitie smiled at Raffina. Raffina picked up the dustpan and broom. She swept the dust and dirt into a pile while humming a song she had heard on the piano this week. She placed all the dirt into the dustpan. She bent over and picked up the dust pan. When she straightened herself out again, Raffina felt Amitie’s hands wrap around her from behind. Amitie nuzzled her neck and giggled a bit.

“Amitie, what are you doing?” Raffina whispered. “I have to mop the room still. I am moderately busy at the moment.”

“It can’t hurt to have a little fun while Klug isn’t looking,” Amitie whispered back. “Come on, Raffi. Pretty please?”

“Fine, just a quick peck,” Raffina reluctantly agreed to. “Then, I have to get back to cleaning up.”

Raffina turned around and let Amitie touch her lips with her own. She could hear the clock tick past five seconds while they kissed in an embrace. She knew she had to pull away before Klug turned around and return to work. Amitie’s lips were too alluring to just let go. Raffina began to suck on Amitie’s bottom lip and rub her back gently. She couldn’t help herself. Amitie let out a sigh just loud enough for Klug to hear. Klug turned around to see Raffina and Amitie kissing passionately. Raffina, shocked from seeing Klug awkwardly staring at her, bit Amitie’s lip by accident. Amitie pulled away after that happened. Raffina covered her mouth in embarrassment.

“Owwie, Raffi, that hurt!!” Amitie yelped.

“I’m so sorry, it was an accident!“ Raffina apologized. “I didn’t mean to!”

“I turn to a bookshelf for five minutes, and you two are already getting to it?” Klug asked rhetorically while slow clapping. “Wow. Absolutely incredible. A real feat of nature right there. What’s next, are you two going to have a little fun with scissors the moment I turn around again?! Hah!”

“Scissors?” Amitie asked innocently. “What does he mean by that?”

“I told you not to call me a pervert, you goddamn dork!” Raffina yelled. “And you are not going to be the one stripping Amitie’s precious innocence away from her with that sort of implication, alright!?!”

“Raffi, is the scissor comment something I should know about?” Amitie asked completely confused.

“Frankly, none of us should know about it!” Raffina stated. “Especially not you, Amitie! Klug is just trying to make me seem creepy and weird.”

“You were literally biting her lip,” Klug observed. “Maybe those assertions are accurate, not that I said that.”

“You startling me was the only reason that happened!” Raffina yelled. “Just get back to sorting the darned books. They are the only things that are going to care about your sorry little butt in the long run.”

“Why don’t you get back to mopping?” Klug asked in return. “You don’t want Ms. Accord to give you yet another punishment.”

Raffina mopped up the floor while Klug rearranged the books. Klug’s insults actually hurt her despite the yelling back she did in an attempt to defend herself. She was a pervert. All the times she had to hold back loud moaning while kissing Amitie were solid enough proof of that. She wished she could just scrub her mind clean of everything nasty residing there. She never should have thought of a sweet and innocent classmate in that horrible way. Raffina squeezed out the mop when she was done. She wiped off the blackboard right as Klug had finished reorganizing the books. The bookshelves looked sparkling clean, the windows were crystal clear, the floor reflected the sunlight streaming through the windows, and the whole place felt way less dusty. Raffina began to move the desks back two at a time.

“Hey Klug, are you going to help with the chairs and desks or what?” Raffina asked with a desk supported on each of shoulders.

“Sure, I’ll get the chairs,” Klug replied.

“Oh, you’re not going to do a single desk? Don’t you want to prove my point about you being scrawny wrong?”

“I would rather have damaged dignity than an aching, burning back. I’m not the rough and tough type like you.”

“It’s only around 70 pounds! It’s not _that_ bad, not even close!”

“You say that like that’s nothing for someone like me. How long have you been lifting to even get that far anyway?”

“I’ve been working hard to keep my figure strong and beautiful since I was twelve at least. I’ve loved martial arts for quite a long time, but I just started to try more serious lifting mixed in my workouts around then, ohoho~”

“Wow, Raffina, you’ve been doing that for quite a long time!” Amitie gushed. “You’re like 14 now? That’s like two years, wow!”

“Well, my birthday will be coming up in the next month, so I’ll be 15 in no time!” Raffina added. “My parents will be out of town on a business trip, but they’re going to put a good amount of funding on my point credit card as a gift like always.”

“Like always?” Amitie repeated. “You mean they’re normally not there during your birthday?”

“They’re normally busy during the summer time,” Raffina mentioned while moving more desks with ease. “My father helps run a company that mass produces magic enhancing items like nuisance bubble soap and the pouch I have. My mother manages the finances of this region of this large fashion company. They often have more work on their hands when summer rolls around because more people purchase their companies’ products.”

“Well, I’m sorry they’re busy,” Amitie commented. “Maybe I could do something with you for your birthday.”

“Let’s stop talking birthdays and life stories, so we can get back to cleaning up the classroom,” Klug interrupted. “I’m getting the chairs, can you please finish up with the desks? I can’t lift those things as easily as you can.”

“I’m working on it, nitwit!” Raffina snapped back while moving one of the last couples of desks. “I just have four more to get!”

Raffina moved the last four desks over to their places. She double checked the seating chart and name tags to make sure she moved every desk where she was supposed to. She helped Klug put away the cleaning supplies. Raffina took the keys Ms. Accord left for them in the classroom and locked the room’s door. She walked to the teacher’s lounge while Amitie and Klug waited for her to finish up at the school gate. Ms. Accord was sipping tea while reading a book on musicians. She put her tea down when she saw Raffina holding her classroom keys.

“Oh, it’s awfully late for you two to be finishing up,” Ms. Accord pointed out. “Thank you for actually abiding to your punishment. Although, it will take a thorough check of the classroom to ensure that.”

“You two better nyave cweaned up the cwasswoom weal nice, nya!” Popoi added. “I don’t want my whiskers tickwled by dust, nya!”

Popoi was normally fairly quiet during strategy lectures since there wasn’t much he could add to lectures as a cat demon thing. After seeing Popoi wasn’t actually a puppet all that time ago, Raffina really couldn’t forget that. She looked forward to hearing Popoi’s silly cat voice through lessons on magical items again. She waved goodbye to Ms. Accord after handing her the keys. She waved goodbye to Klug cordially though coldly. When Raffina turned to Amitie to say farewell for the day, she felt a tight and loving hug from her girlfriend. She began her walk home by the evening light. When she arrived home, she decided to workout for a couple hours. She felt a little rusty on her lifting, so she spent more time than normal training. By the time night fell, she was strolling to her room after taking a shower to wash off her sweat. She lay down in her soft bed sheets, smiled at the moronic note Tarutaru wrote for her, and went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing Klug as a argumentative jerk, and I love writing Raffina’s angry responses to him. Their bitter arguments are so fun. Also, yes, I do feel some regret over some jokes here, but I do not care.


	11. Trek to the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ms. Accord arranges a field trip to Prince Salde’s castle to discuss his magical nature and significance. After Tarutaru’s letter is read aloud in spite by Raffina, the class takes off on horse drawn carriages to visit Prince Salde. Raffina spends the time on her ride to reflect and talk with Lemres, Amitie, and Sig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEACH BEACH BEACH BEACH BEACH!!!!!
> 
> Sorry, I’ve been dying to start the beach chapter. I didn’t realize how long this part was going to be, but that means I don’t have to cram all of the fun beach shenanigans into one chapter with this. I like having a calm little build up thing.
> 
> I don’t actually like beaches at all in real life. I just like the funny situations they can create in a story.

Raffina strolled into class with a clean gym bag in hand. It had been a week since she has found the note from Tarutaru, but she hadn’t read it because she wanted the perfect moment to. They were going to leave for a field trip to the beach to visit this “Prince Salde Canarl Shellbrick III” at his nearby castle. His name sounded familiar, but Raffina was silently hoping it was a charming prince she could amaze. She was happy with Amitie, but the desire to impress a prince with her strength and beauty was an ingrained part of her. This field trip would be the perfect opportunity to embarrass Tarutaru with his note on the trek to the beach. Raffina also brought a bikini with her to change into when Ms. Accord would let them play on the beach. Normally, she would wear a one piece. Her midriff was too masculine for people not to notice and be weirded out by. However, she wanted to impress Amitie with a showy bathing suit. She hoped Klug wasn’t going to make fun of her for that.

Raffina waved to Amitie, who was wearing a cover up. Amitie ran up to her and hugged her.

“Good morning, Raffi!” Amitie greeted cheerfully. “I’m so excited to go to the beach today! I bet the water’s gonna be nice in the summer heat!”

“I’m looking forward to taking a nice jog around the beach too,” Raffina mentioned. “I hope this Prince guy is handsome and charming. I’m not going to be very happy to be going that far just to see some antisocial loser.”

“Dunno about charming, but I think the Prince is nice,” Sig chimed in.

“Wait, you know the prince we’re seeing today?!” Raffina exclaimed. “ _You,_ of all people?!”

“I think you’ve met him too at some point,” Sig added. “That was probably that day you came back to class with that shell thing complaining about someone.”

“Wait, that’s who that shrimpy little shota brat is?” Raffina said insultingly. “I wasted all that bloody time to change that slithery little fish back to a boy, and all I got was some stupid shell! Why the heck do you know him anyway? I was helping his butler, what did you do?!”

“I think that I happen to be his servant still technically,” Sig explained. “He let me keep this weird lantern thing after I helped him out with something. He’s a bit strange, but he’s nice. Hold up, it’s probably in my bag.”

Sig sorted through his bag. He tossed out his bug net and a couple glass jars used to keep bugs in them. His hair antennae twitched, and he pulled a sparkly lantern with a glowing star floating in the center. The bases of the lantern appeared to be made of gold with a polished pyrite handle and decorative spikes. It emanated a powerful magical energy.

“Oh my gosh, that’s such a beautiful lantern!” Raffina gushed. “How much are you selling it for?”

She shoved a couple hundred points in his face, hoping Sig would take her up on the offer.

“It’s not for sale, Wuffina,” Sig stated. “Prince Salde might need it.”

“Hmmp, your loss then! Oh, la-ti-da!” Raffina added sourly. “And my name’s Raffina.”

“Okay Waffina,” Sig said.

Raffina rested her legs on her desk while she sat down in her chair. She hummed a tune while taking a look at Amitie. Her cover up was just a loosely fitting black and white striped dress with a zipper on the front extending all the way down. Raffina could only imagine the appealing bathing suit Amitie wore underneath that. Was it a ruffled bikini that showed off her body’s appealing curves? A colorful, cutesy one piece? A dull and modest two piece that still teased a little at what was under? Whatever Amitie wore was going to look so good on her! Raffina was so excited at the thought alone of Amitie in a bathing suit. Klug strolled into class holding a swim shirt and swim trunks in one hand and his weird old tome in the other with his standard school apparel on. Honestly, it was just like that annoying jerk to wear clothes completely unfitting for the beach just to look “intelligent and esteemed.” At least Raffina wore a white sleeveless sundress with a floral pattern on it, with her standard bra and panties under it of course for when they changed back. She remembered to tie her hair up, so it wouldn’t get in her way. Klug just wore his awkward long sleeved outfit expecting it to work for a beach day.

“Hey, why aren’t you wearing something a bit more casual, huh?” Raffina asked.

“I am not going to dress as slutty as you just because we are going to the beach,” Klug asserted.

“Just because I wear a short dress that shows my bra straps and shoulders doesn’t make me slutty!” Raffina objected. “It’s fashionable and situationally appropriate as opposed to the damn heat stroke cloak you’ve got yourself in!”

“Raffi, stop arguing with him!” Amitie interrupted. “I don’t want to hear you two bicker like this before a fun summer field trip like this! But Klug, she’s right, you’re going to get sick in the heat if you don’t plan to change out soon.”

“Duly noted, Amitie,” Klug acknowledged. “Although, Raffina, it’s funny you point out heat stroke yet expose so much of your body to the sun’s rays.”

“I brought sunblock, dunce,” Raffina stated as she pulled it out of her gym bag. “You really think I wouldn’t remember to care for the one body I get in my life?”

“You got me there, meathead,” Klug commented rudely. “Honestly, the only reason I am actually looking forward to this field trip is because I’ve heard Lemres is going to be a chaperone for us. It’s not often I get a chance to impress the great Comet Warlock.”

“Oh, that’s nice for you, Klug,” Sig chimed in. “At least there’s something you can have fun with there.”

Raffina tuned out the rest of Klug’s conversation after his focus switched over to Sig. It was nice those two got along well if just for the reason it kept Klug from constantly ruining what little shreds of confidence she had left. She walked over to Amitie and sat down. She stroked Amitie’s back gently and leaned on her shoulder. It was nice to be close to Amitie when she was feeling weird about her midriff. The nice strawberry scent of Amitie’s shampoo distracted Raffina from the embarrassment she felt about having to show her body more to everyone despite the confident sound of her voice talking about it. Tarutaru walked in the classroom with Lidelle about five minutes before the time Ms. Accord would have the class leave for the carriage that would take them to the beach. Raffina pulled Tarutaru’s note out of her pouch and giggled to herself.

“Oh, la-ti-da, good morning, Tarutaru!” Raffina said in a jokingly cheerful tone. “I have a lovely little surprise for you, Taru~”

“Good morning, Raffine~” Tarutaru flirted back, unaware of the note Raffina held in her right hand. “You are awfully friendly today. Have you finally developed a liking for me?”

“Sure, go think that all you want, ohohoho~” Raffina snickered. “I found something absolutely marvelous I wanted to share with you.”

“What is it, Raffine?” Tarutaru earnestly asked.

Raffina unfolded the note. Tarutaru could barely see the date on the page and freaked out. Raffina cleared her throat to get the attention of the entire class. She glanced around to make sure everyone was paying attention.

“Oh, just a note of yours I found addressed to me in your desk,” Raffina explained. “I’m _sure_ you won’t mind if I read it to freshen up your memory, ohohoho~”

“Wait, Raffine, don’t!”

“Dear Raffine, Although you do not appear to reciprocate these feelings for me, I would like to say I love you dearly. Your eyes are beautiful like the ocean in the midst of summer. Your hair is swirly like cotton candy yet still soft and silky. Your figure is absolutely, eheheheh, sorry this is just certainly something! Your figure is absolutely stunning, and I wish I could hold a beautiful young woman such as yourself in a loving embrace. Pff, I totally adore this part! Your breasts are absolutely lovely. Their size is perfectly, pfff hahaaaha! Their size is perfectly fitting with your appealing figure. Your torso, waist, and hips are all perfectly proportioned. Really, you are quite magnificent. Like I need to be reminded of my hard work on my beauty by the likes of you, ohohoho~ Although I would like to note, I wish to go out with you, not just because I am completely enamored with your appearance but with your personality too. Your boldness and diligence are admirable traits. Oh, Raffine, I adore every inch of you, even down to the scent of your jasmine perfume. Hah, what a creep! Please accept this humble confession of my love, so a relationship can flower with love and devotion. I truly admire and desire you, sweet princess of Primp Town. A bit cheesy, much?

Sincerely, Tarutaru~”

“Oh my, what a lovely and totally _not_ creepy letter at all!” Raffina observed sarcastically. “I know you didn’t know about Amitie and me until after you wrote the letter, but this is _still_ too far even without the knowledge! Wow!”

“Raffine, shut up!” Tarutaru yelled at her. “I know I’m not your partner, stop rubbing it in you complete jerk! No wonder you don’t have friends!

Normally, Tarutaru was calm and cheerful despite Raffina’s rejection of him. However, Raffina had managed to anger him by reading that love letter. Lidelle shuffled away from him quietly, Klug and Raffina laughed like hyenas, Amitie just stood there awkwardly, and Sig shrugged. Tarutaru looked so angry he could break a desk. Ms. Accord walked into the room shortly after. Raffina held back her laughter and politely greeted her teacher. She’d get into so much trouble if Ms. Accord heard about the letter reading, but seeing Tarutaru finally called out as a creep was worth it. She was just weirded out by the guy despite his kindness before. Now? After that letter? Come on, he’s a total creep. Ms. Accord greeted her students and led them out to the horse drawn carriage heading for the beach.

Raffina sat down in the back row of the carriage Lemres and Sig sat in. The driver urged the horses forward, and they began their trip to the beach. She waved her handkerchief at Tarutaru and Klug mockingly while her carriage drove off ahead of theirs. She watched as the school slowly disappeared with the sounds of the horses’ hooves clopping on the pavement leading out from the school. Amitie took a nap on her shoulder. She sat and thought on what Tarutaru said to her while angry. “No wonder you don’t have friends!” He was right in a sense. Sig was friendly but he seemed passive and uncaring. He certainly did care about Klug and Amitie but not much about her. Amitie was her partner. Whether or not Amitie counted was a mystery. She did care about Amitie, but there was a lot of desire around Amitie too. The pounding of the hooves into the dirt made Raffina feel uneasy with her troublesome thoughts. She really was awful, but she’d never hear the end of it from anyone if she admitted that aloud. She didn’t deserve Amitie’s love after how cruel she’d been to everyone. Sure, Tarutaru was a creep, but reading the note like that was a bit too far.

“Hey, Raffine, you alright?” Lemres asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet. You’re normally ranting on about getting what ya want or somethin.”

“Yeah, Mr. I-Gave-You-A-Magic-Rock-That-Doesn’t-Even-Work,” Raffina replied.

“You’re still mad about me not saying the effect was temporary?” Lemres asked confused. “That was such a while ago, Raffine, geez.”

“I’m not going to let that one slide, Comet Warlock.”

“What if I give ya some nice tasty candy after school? Eh? You’ll love what I can give you.”

“You do realize you sound like a creepy pedo trying to give young teenagers candy while you’re like at least 20?”

“Come on, Raffine, you know I’d never do such a vile thing. Now, why don’t you have a nice lollipop to ease your foul mood?”

“Fine, but please give me one of those round ones. I’m sure Amitie would want to share with me when she wakes up.”

“Alrighty, here ya go.”

Lemres pulled a round lollipop out of his cloak. The sheer amount of candy he probably hid in there was a complete enigma to everyone except himself. He handed it to Raffina, then turned around and looked at the town around him. Raffina looked around the carriage too. The horses trekked through the more populated area of Primp Town on the path to the beach and the Prince’s castle. Various shops and twisting roads Raffina had yet to explore dotted the crowded landscape of the city. She could even see the shopping mall in the distance while the horses ventured through the town. The carriage hit a pothole under its tire, waking Amitie up from her nap.

“Raffi, are we there yet?” Amitie asked while she rubbed her eyes to wake herself up.

“No, we’re still in Primp Town,” Raffina replied. “Isn’t the populated area nice? There’s so much to do around these parts. Plus, my parent’s mansion is at the edge of town, so I get a nice view of the place.”

“Just how long does it take you to walk to school from here anyway?” Amitie asked.

“About half an hour after the carriage drops me off by the other edge of town. It’s closer to a quarter of an hour when I jog from the stop. Sometimes even less than ten minutes if I run and try really hard. I’m usually pretty winded after that though because running that far as fast as I can isn’t all too easy, even for me.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. It takes me about the same length of time to walk since I live by the edge of town closer to the school.”

“The place has always looked nice and calm when I get there before school. I’d love to come visit your house at some point.”

“Really? But your mansion is so much fancier than my house!”

“Yes, that is likely accurate. However, it has become fairly boring to me after living in it for almost 15 years now. I’d love to see the humble abode of a peasant like you!”

“Oh, yay! Well, I guess we can have a date there if you want.”

“Oh a date?” Lemres interrupted. “I never realized Raffine had friends, let alone a partner.”

“Come on, Comet Warlock, at least I don’t have two weird, occult-obsessed teens running after me in pursuit of romance with someone they can’t have,” Raffina commented.

“And what’s that supposed to mean, huh?” Lemres asked. “I’ve never seen kids trying to get my attention like that, not at all.”

“Well if you haven’t, you certainly will today. A lot.”

“What exactly do you mean by that, Raffine?”

“You’ll see, oh, la-ti-da!”

“You’re being cryptic, eh? Guess I’ll have to wait and see what ya mean. So much for a straightforward answer…”

“Mr. Lemres, why do you call Raffina ‘Raffine’ like that?” Amitie asked. “You know that’s not her name, right?”

“I heard ya call her ‘Raffi,’ right?” Lemres mentioned. “Why is it so weird that I call her Raffine?”

“Because I’m dating her!” Amitie explained. “I have a reason to use a special, sweet nickname with her. Why do you and Tarutaru call her Raffine?”

“Ms. Accord called her Raffine when I first asked about the kid chasing me around for my help with the prince. I kinda just stuck with it since. It rolls off the tongue easier too.”

“Yeah, Ms. Accord kept mispronouncing and misspelling my name. I just accepted it at a certain point until I decided to finally correct it the next year. It’s fine if Lemres calls me Raffine. When Tarutaru does it, it’s a bit weird because he’s heard my name normally enough times to know that’s wrong.”

“Wait, you’ve met the prince we’re going to see, guys?!” Amitie asked.

“Yep, I’ve had to use some transformation magic on the lad thanks to ol’ Raffine here,” Lemres explained.

“Of course, I had to chase the darn shrimp around just to make him turn back into some pathetic little shota and get a stupid magic seashell that doesn’t even do much as a reward!” Raffina scoffed.

“Yeah, I’m his servant,” Sig chimed in. “He said he’d offer 3 meals a day, a nap, and some other stuff.”

“Well, he sure seems personable from the number of people he’s met,” Amitie surmised. “That’s nice.”

Amitie leaned her head on Raffina’s shoulder. Amitie reached for Raffina’s hands holding onto the lollipop. Amitie started to lick the lollipop Raffina held. She bit the side farthest from Raffina’s face and quietly sucked on it as the horse drawn carriage exited the town. The area they had entered had more shrubbery and less trees around than Nahe Forest or Primp Magic School. Despite the landscape being simple, it was nice to look at for Raffina while sharing a lollipop with Amitie. Amitie’s warm body was so close to Raffina’s while they enjoyed the sweet taste of the lollipop together. Lemres handed Sig a mint when he noticed Sig looking back at Amitie and her sharing. The singing of local birds and the pounding of horse hooves were relaxing sounds. Raffina could hear Amitie’s soft breathing with how close their faces were. She was tempted to kiss Amitie, but she’d never hear the end of a lecture from Lemres if she showed any public displays of affection. He was a nice guy, a good student aid to the lower grades, and a studious spellcaster at his post secondary school from what she had heard from Klug. However, he seemed like the type to want to keep everything 100% family friendly, even when no one really cared. He had the best of intentions when doing so. Even if he sounded like a predatory creep to some with his “hey ya want some candy” thing with people much younger than him, he always wanted the best for people from what Raffina could tell. The carriage driver looked back to his passengers to see everyone happy and relaxed. He sighed and turned around to steer the horses.

Tarutaru’s words echoed in Raffina’s head while the carriage driver went through the grassy winding paths between them and the beach. “No wonder you have no friends!” She couldn’t get it out of her head. He was right, people didn’t like her. Why did Amitie date her? It made no sense to Raffina. She started to remember all the nasty things Klug had said to her too. “You’re honestly a horrible person. Heck, how does anyone put up with you?” He was right. His rant on the flaws of her empty ego was accurate to a tee. There was one thing he said that hurt her a lot. The truth of his words cut down to her very core. “Go off insulting me while you’ve seen all the times your bloody ego has ruined your social life. Go tell yourself how much you matter like the rich jerk you are. No one wants to hear it either way.” He was right, her ego was pointless. It just got in everyone’s way. People probably figured it was a facade by now anyway. Her whole personality as of late felt pointless. It was a jumbled and unlikable mess. Maybe she should have just slammed her doors shut and stayed locked away in the comfort of high society. The world was cold. Klug, despite being an irritating, stuck up prick, had truth to his words. She just wished he would shut up, so her confidence didn’t completely shatter. Her palms felt sweaty from the worry these comments roused in her. She noticed she was biting into the lollipop moderately hard when she exited her train of thought.

“Raffi, are you okay?” Amitie asked after pulling her face away from the lollipop. “You’re biting into that lollipop pretty hard. Are you thinking about something sad.”

“Eh, I guess you could say that,” Raffina muttered. “I’m just thinking about some of the mean things Klug has said.”

“Why are you thinking about that? Klug’s comments are just needlessly mean. They’re not a good indication of what others think about you!”

“They sure are a good echo of what I think about me… I hate admitting this, but bookworm is right on something: I am awful.”

“You’re not awful, Raffina! What makes you think that about yourself?”

“I’m kind of a perve-“

“Woah there kiddos, you better not be talking about anything inappropriate, alrighty there?” Lemres interrupted. “As your chaperone, I’m here to make sure this trip is fun and appropriate. K? Raffine, I better not catch you doing anything weird to Amitie.”

“And who’s the one with a dirty mind?” Raffina asked as part of a comeback. “Right, the man who thinks two young teenagers are going to do illicit things just because I said I have a lot of nasty thoughts buried in my head.”

“Raffine, do ya have to always come back with a quip?” Lemres asked. “It’s gotta get on people’s nerves by now…”

“My thoughts exactly, Lemres, which is what I was trying to get across to Amitie. I have this nasty knee jerk reaction when anyone insults me, especially when it holds truth. Plus, this stupid ego I’ve ingrained into my pattern of speech. I wish I could just stop acting like I’m better than everyone when I know I’m not; I’m far worse.”

“You’re not perfect, Raffina, but you still are empathetic, kind when you put your mind on it, smart, strong, and loving!” Amitie objected. “You’ve never said anything weird to me as far as I know! You have problems, but we can work through that together! You shouldn’t hate yourself!”

“First of all, there was that one time we kissed where I moaned,” Raffina stated.

“See, my concerns about you two getting into trouble have a base,” Lemres commented.

“It was one time!” Raffina shouted. “But yeah, I’m not as innocent as you would like to think…”

“Wait… you moaned because…?” Amitie asked confused.

“Kissing you felt really good, and I couldn’t hold in my excitement.” Raffina answered.

“That seems like a fairly normal thing to do, Raffi.”

“Not with someone while we aren’t even old enough to… to…”

“You better not finish that sentence, Raffine,” Lemres cautioned. “I don’t want to write you up.”

“Yes, I understand I am not allowed to say the certain two words that start with s and a and rhyme with ‘sensational facts,’ you don’t need to tell me twice, Lemres,” Raffina reiterated. “Hmpph.”

“That was certainly a clever dodge there…” Lemres pointed out.

“A dodge of what? Sexual a-“ Sig chimed in, only to be hushed by Lemres. “Oh, my bad… thought you all were playing a word guessing game back there. Sorry.”

“I am honestly surprised you know what those words are, Sig!” Amitie gasped. “And wait, two girls can do that sort of thing?! I thought it was just this:”

Just as Amitie was about to the hand motion to demonstrate her point, Lemres raised his wand as a warning to Amitie. Amitie stopped and just stared awkwardly at Raffina. Everyone in the carriage just remained in awkward silence while they reached the end of the winding paths. A large abandoned mansion entered sight. Raffina remembered that Yu and Rei seemed to live there. She saw the two ghosts playing tag outside.

“Hey, Yu!” Raffina yelled from the carriage.

“Oh, it’s Rei…” Sig said to them.

“Howdy guys!” Amitie shouted to her ghost friends while the carriage drove by them.

“Hello everyone!” Yu yelled back at the same time. 

“Have a nice time wherever you’re going…” Rei added.

Raffina and Amitie shared the lollipop as the shimmering ocean became clearer with each minute the carriage was pulled forward. Eventually, the carriage stopped at the beach strip right in front of Prince Salde’s castle. Raffina and the other riders waved goodbye to their driver. Ms. Accord’s carriage arrived ten minutes after theirs. Apparently, Lidelle had to use the restroom because she forgot to before leaving, so they had to take a quick stop in the town. They all looked out to the castle and the ocean in the late morning’s light. There was much that awaited them here.


	12. Failed Field Trip of Tropical Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raffina and her classmates goof off while Otomo chases the Ocean Prince because of a mistake Sig made. Lemres chats with Feli and Klug and interferes with Klug and Raffina's bickering. Raffina overcomes some insecurity thanks to Amitie's kindness. After a long day for everyone, they watch the sunset with cake Lemres baked while Lemres returns Salde to his rightful form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing fanfiction basically the entire day kills my few braincells. I wanted to give Raffina her birthday chapter after this one, but apparently my typing speed and execution speed aren't fast enough to make two chapters for a work in one day, especially not a long one like this. I'll get around to the birthday chapter soon. I just have like 10 different nonsensical writing projects going on at once.

Raffina walked in a single file line with her other classmates towards the castle. She hated the idea of seeing that shrimpy loser in his own domain. It felt like a waste of time, but at least she would get to go swimming with Amitie. The class walked up the drawbridge to Salad, wait no, Salde’s castle. Raffina found it amusing to internally mess up the shrimpy boy’s name. Raffina let Amitie walk ahead of her to get a better view of the castle. Raffina was significantly taller than Amitie with large, poofy hair, so it made perfect sense if Amitie had trouble seeing past her. Klug was slightly taller than her, but he was in the back of the line talking with Sig because they were good friends, or so Klug said. Raffina wouldn’t be surprised if Klug was gay for Sig. She already took note of Klug’s, err, “special reaction” to Lemres because it was unfortunately impossible to miss for her. He clearly wasn’t straight, but Raffina recognized it didn’t concern her. Well, aside from proving to Lemres that he and Feli were going to pester him all day. Lemres walked at the back of the line and caught Klug’s longing gaze a couple times. Raffina had a good feeling about her assertion being proved correct without her having to interfere.

She reached for Amitie’s hand from behind and grasping it tightly. Amitie seemed impressed by the large stone castle with massive reaching spires. Raffina was used to large and extravagant buildings, but the older style of architecture and intricate structure of the building was worth admiration. She wondered how many years of long and hard work it took to create such a detailed castle. The class finally reached the portcullis of the castle. Ms. Accord knocked on the door. A guard on a post above the portcullis looked down at Ms. Accord’s class. Ms. Accord explained why the class was here, and the guard lifted the portcullis. A fish like guard greeted them at the gate. Raffina recognized him as the servant who led her on that wild goose chase without a reward for her efforts. She was annoyed about having to participate in this part of the field trip, but she just imagined Amitie in her bathing suit as a way to get through this part. Otomo led Raffina and her classmates through the long hallways of the castle. Raffina stroked Amitie’s hand while they walked together on the elegant blue carpets. The walls appeared water damaged, but the whole place still had a nice proper feel to it.

Eventually, they reached the throne room. Salde was having a tantrum and yelling at his servant to stop trying to put a fancy outfit on. She felt bad for the kid crying about that, but damn, did it hurt her ears. Ms. Accord, Lemres, and Otomo hurried over to help Salde. Ms. Accord tried to use Popoi to entertain the child, but he continued to cry. Lemres offered a lollipop, but Otomo said Salde gets even moodier when he has sugar. Otomo tried to reason with Salde, but Salde just shoved him away and wailed. After a solid couple minutes of him crying, Sig walked over to Salde after realizing he was not going to calm down at this rate. Sig walked up to Salde and hugged him. Sig’s hair antennae twitched while he gave Salde a caring pat on the back. Salde sniffled, but his tears were finally slowing. Raffina never realized Salde and Sig shared much of a bond. Salde held onto Sig tightly for another minute before looking up at him.

“Sig, th-thanks,” Salde said softly. “Thou art such a marvelous servant, I-I love thine k-kindness.”

“You’re my friend; helping friends is good,” Sig explained. “You seem sad. Do you wanna go back into the ocean?”

“Uh-huh, the responsibilities are piling up too much for a person like me to tolerate! Please free me of these forced duties!”

“Ok.”

“Wait, Sig, no!” Otomo shouted.

Sig pulled the Lantern of the Star from his bag and used it on Prince Salde. His body lit up a bright blue before morphing into the form of a fish. The fish leaped out of the stained glass window in the throne room and dove into the vast ocean. Raffina could tell Otomo was about to drop some pretty nasty swear words from the way he held his tongue, but he took a deep breath and sighed. He announced to the class that he and his castle staff would go searching for the prince while the class waited on the beachside. Raffina rejoiced at not having to hear that stupid child rant in her face about his dubious role of importance as a prince. Sig scratched his head and faced Otomo, who was beyond angry.

“Sorry, he just seemed really miserable, and I wanted to be a good servant,” Sig apologized.

“I see your point, Sig,” Otomo admitted. “I am not mad at you trying to help, but he has to grow up at some point. He can’t keep running from his responsibilities, or they’re going to catch up to him while he has no clue what to do with them. He has to face them with me by his side to teach him. I only want what is best for him and his subjects.”

“Ok.”

“Now, why don’t you all go enjoy the beach? I will take time to search for the prince while you are busy. Comet Warlock, Lemres, please stay at the beach on standby. I will need your transformation magic to return Prince Salde to his true form.”

“Sure, I’ll help out where I can,” Lemres chimed in. “I can see what ya mean about letting him handle the responsibilities that come with a lot of wealth and power. One of the kiddos I’ve gotta watch over comes from a rich family and seems to have grown up bein taught about that responsibility. She’s kinda nasty, but she seems able to handle her money real fine, eyy, Raffine?”

“Please do not drag me into any discussion involving that immature, unbearable, and fishy failure of a prince,” Raffina demanded.

“You’re right about her being nasty, but she does seem mature,” Otomo commented.

“Now, now, let’s not linger around longer and stall the search party for the Prince,” Ms. Accord suggested. “Come on class, let’s go. Lemres, let’s go wait by the beach for this whole thing to be sorted out. You can help me look after the kiddies while they play.”

“K, Accord,” Lemres answered. “Let’s go have some tropical fun, kids.”

Ms. Accord and Lemres led everyone out of the castle and back onto the beach. Raffina stepped into a small area of brush to hide her body while she changed into her bathing suit. She felt embarrassed about having to strip all the way down to change into her bathing suit, but she managed to change fast enough to avoid anyone seeing her. She walked back out in a plain black bikini with a small purple bow in the center of the top. She took her sunblock and started to apply it all over her body. She noticed Amitie awkwardly staring at her from a distance. She walked over to Amitie, who was wearing a pink and white polka dotted one piece with ruffles that looked like a skirt near her hips. There was a cute little flower on the center of the bathing suit with a bow on the front of each strap. It honestly looked like something a young child would wear, but the cutesy aesthetic fit someone like Amitie. She still wore her Puyo hat as per usual. Raffina applied her sunblock more near Amitie until she noticed Amitie fidgeting.

“What is the matter, Amitie?” Raffina asked. “You seem nervous.”

“Umm, R-raffina, y-you look nice in that..” Amitie stuttered. “Hehe, you’re so c-c-cute.. I dunno, it j-just..”

“You don’t need to be so nervous around me because I’m wearing this,” Raffina interrupted. “After all, I picked this out just to make you like it~”

“Ah, thanks, b-but isn’t that really showy? Are you okay with wearing something like that?”

“While I do feel uncomfortable about my body being in the open like this due to it being more masculine, I don’t mind nearly as much with you here.”

“That wasn’t quite what I meant..”

“Is it my bust that concerns you?

“Ummm, uhh, Raffina.. Why do you have to bring that up so directly…?”

“So it is that? Do you want me to put on my sundress until I go in the water?”

“N-no, it’s f-fine.. I-I-I am j-just a l-little jealous of you..”

“Your breasts are perfectly sized for your body type, Amitie. I don’t see why you would be jealous of me. There are certainly inconveniences that come with a larger bust size I wish I didn’t have to deal with. I don’t want to linger on this subject anymore, Amitie.”

“A-alright, Raffi..”

Raffina applied her sunblock to the rest of her body, which took what felt like a while considering the bathing suit she decided to wear. She wanted to be sure the sunblock on her back covered it completely, so she went to Amitie for help. Amitie nervously nodded along. She still seemed jealous of Raffina, which was something Raffina just couldn’t understand. Amitie applied the sunblock to Raffina’s back carefully. Raffina loved the feeling of Amitie gently running her hands down her back, even if it was just for the sake of applying sunblock. When Amitie was done, Raffina helped Amitie apply sunblock on the back part of the bathing suit that had a decorative hole. Raffina let Amitie use her sunblock on the rest of her body while she walked over to everyone else. Sig wore his swim trunks with his shirt when he came here, so he didn’t have to change like Raffina and Klug. The way his red arm connected with his normal skin at his shoulder was intriguing. It seemed like the skin on his arm had grown over the normal skin. She knew for sure by now the arm was not a result of focused training, and the way the arm connected made that clearer. Raffina was really curious what caused his arm to be like that.

“Hello Sig, do you happen to know how your arm changed like that?” Raffina asked. “The way the skin on your arm differs greatly from the rest of your body is interesting.”

“Dunno,” Sig answered. “All I know is that Amitie thinks it is linked with that book the bookworm has. Haven’t learned much aside from that. No one knows about it.”

“Hmmm, that makes sense I suppose. Well, I hope you have a nice time at the beach!”

“Thanks, Waffina.”

“I am just going to let that slide and ignore that.”

Raffina noticed rustling coming from a bush. When she walked near it, she heard what sounded like Klug scrambling to change as fast as he could in the spot Raffina changed in. Raffina wanted to tease him for taking so long, but she didn’t want her day ruined by the retort. She walked over to where Feli, Lidelle, and Lemres were. Feli and Lidelle were playing volleyball with a ball Lemres brought. Feli’s one piece screamed “goth girl,” and Lidelle’s ruffled green two piece had a nice cutesy look to it that matched her general appearance. They probably had their bathing suits on under their clothes. Feli spiked the ball after a particularly bad pass from Lidelle. Predictably, she turned to Lemres.

“Mr. Lemres, are you impressed by my abilities?” Feli asked desperately. “My reflexes are above average I suppose.”

“Uhh, yeah yep, good job Feli,” Lemres replied half-heartedly. “I’m glad you’re having fun with Ri- I mean, Lidelle.”

Raffina walked over to lean into Lemres.

“Hey, is Feli starting to get on your nerves?” Raffina whispered. “She’s quite obsessive about you, which sucks.”

“She’s pretty nice, but she nags me for attention at every little achievement of hers,” Lemres described. “I kinda need to watch over the boys too..”

“Oh, you’re not annoyed by her crush on you?”

“It’s fine I guess, but I’m not really interested in women, especially not school aged girls. The idea of being with any guy significantly younger than me is really icky to me too. I guess I just don’t want to crush the poor girl’s heart, so I just try to disregard her. I dunno if that makes any sense to ya, Raffine.”

“You’re gay? That’s new to me.”

“Well, whether it’s new or old doesn’t matter cause it’s just a small part of me.”

“Fair. I am just mildly concerned Feli might, err, try to force breed with you if you ever let her know that. That is a serious flaw of hers.”

“Hey, Raffine, let’s not talk about that sort of thing, k? This trip has to be nice and clean,”

“Fine… I’ll go off and bother Klug now in that case. He’s probably done changing. Oh, and watch out for Feli, alright? I wouldn’t want a powerful spellcaster to be harmed by an obsessive student. Why don’t you talk to Klug after I’m done bothering him? I’m sure he’d love to be acknowledged by you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, kiddo. See ya.”

Raffina skipped over to Klug, who was wearing star themed swim trunks and a galaxy themed swim shirt. He looked awful with his tacky swimming outfit and horrific bowl cut.

“Wow, you look worse than usual, and that’s saying something, ohohoho~” Raffina quipped.

“You say that when you’re showing off your extremely masculine figure,” Klug retorted. “Your abdominal muscle mass as well as other does not make you attractive, quite the opposite. Your brawny body would go better with a bland one piece. It would certainly bother my eyes less to not see all that skin.”

Raffina hid her midriff with her hands and turned away. She felt like a deer in midnight torchlight. She had a bad feeling about wearing this kind of thing around people like him. Raffina rubbed her arm nervously with her opposite hand. Amitie strolled over to see Raffina seeming nervous.

“Raffina, why are you hiding your tummy?” Amitie asked.

Her choice of words was way too cutesy for it too feel right for Raffina. Raffina was elegant and beautiful, not cute.

“Uhh, it looks really masculine, and I don’t like that,” Raffina explained. “I am starting to have second thoughts about this…”

“Amitie, please as her to put her slut dress back on because that is at least more covering than this thing,” Klug suggested. “I’m sure she’d be so much happier in it too.”

“Since when did you care about my happiness?!” Raffina yelled. “You just wanted to drag me down again, like you always do!”

“And you don’t?”

“God dammit Klug! Can you please just fu, I mean, go away?! I am sick of your insults!”

“So am I, yet I never hear the end of your insults, so it is only fair for me to fire back.”

“I guess I will have to hold my tongue then?”

“Yes, especially when your doing all your lovey-dovey stuff with Amitie.”

“Can you not call me a pervert?!”

“Now, Raffine, how many times am I going to need to tell you to keep things family friendly?’ Lemres sighed. “This is way too consistently a problem.”

“He was the one who brought that into this!” Raffina objected.

“Guys, can you please stop fighting?!” Amitie cut in. “Let’s just stop worrying and have fun!”

“Fine, I’m wasting my time with this bickering anyway. I’d much rather have fun with my girlfriend.”

“I agree, except I am not the type of person to have a girlfriend,” Klug added. “A girlfriend would distract from my studies. Hey, Sig, do you want to look for crabs?” 

“They’re crustaceans, which are related to other arthropods, like spiders,” Sig stated. “I like looking for spiders, even if they aren’t insects. Let’s go look for crabs.”

Sig’s hair antennae twitched at the thought of catching crabs. Klug walked over to Lemres and scratched his head near him.

“Ahh, Mr. Lemres, can I ask something of you?” Klug hesitated. “Can we have a magic duel? I would like to get to experience the power of the great Comet Warlock firsthand. It’s been an awfully long while.”

“Sure, how about this day next week?” Lemres replied. “I didn’t bring my jellies, chocolates, and other items, so my magic won’t be any fun to use. I hope ya understand.”

“I do, but I feel some level of disappointment.”

“Want some gummy bears? Or a mint? Some candy always improves the mood.”

“I’ll have a mint.”

“Hey, Lemres, why haven’t you changed into your swim trunks?” Raffina asked. “It’s way too hot out to stay in that thing.”

“Raffine, I have nowhere to change into it,” Lemres claimed. “And I don’t quite feel comfortable changing where you and Klug changed. I’m a bit too tall to fit there.”

“Can’t you just ask Ms. Accord where to change?” Klug asked. “I’m sure she has some knowledge on a good place; the teacher seems to know everything.”

“Alrighty, I’ll go ask Accord.”

Raffina left Lemres and Klug to go swimming with Amitie. She told Amitie she was going to take a run from where the class was playing off to a rock in the distance and back. It was probably a distance that would tire most people of average athleticism, but Raffina knew she was definitely above average. She started her run. She always liked to get a nice run in on a sunny day at the beach whenever possible. She felt invigorated by the salty breeze in her hair and the warm sun on her skin while she jogged to the rock. Raffina began to think while her sandals pounded into sand during her jogging. This sort of exercise only exacerbated her already masculine figure. She slowed down her pace and felt a pang of shame over her body. Klug was right again; her body was too boyish to be attractive. The only physical trait she had that could make her attractive was probably her bust, which just got in her way during workouts and martial arts funnily enough. Raffina wished her body was more like Amitie’s in terms of appearance. She wanted her body to have a more hourglass figure and be slim as opposed to being moderately muscular and having pretty much even waist to hip measurements. She took care to measure herself as often as she could to make sure her clothes fit well, causing discomfort and dislike for her body’s shape. 

By the time she first reached the rock, Raffina was overcome with self hatred directed at her body. She ran back as fast as she could, with the hopes she could finish in the arms of Amitie. Her heart was pounding from her pushing herself. Her breath escaped her lungs while her sandals pounded on the warm sand. She saw Amitie talking with Sig in the distance. She hurried faster towards Amitie with the negative emotions that often accompanied her alone thoughts. Raffina glomped Amitie and knocked her over. She was on top of Amitie and could hear her quiet, nervous breathing. Raffina held Amitie very tightly. She could hear Klug’s scoffing, but she couldn’t focus on it with his comments on her body, along with her own thoughts, echoing in her head.

Amitie held Raffina. She could feel Raffina’s tight grip, which was actually painful. Raffina seemed upset about something really bad. Amitie decided not to pry just yet and stroked her hair lovingly. Raffina seemed to noticed Amitie groaning at the pain from being squeezed and stood up. Amitie held Raffina and could feel her basically bare body against her own. It wasn’t enjoyable when she could tell Raffina was upset. Raffina sounded winded and on the verge of tears, which was concerning to Amitie. She had to make Raffina happy. She hated the feeling of her girlfriend being upset.

“Raffi, what’s wrong?” Amitie asked. “You have something to get off your chest?”

“Amitie, do you think I’m physically unattractive because of my brawny body?” Raffina questioned out of the blue. “I feel like I’m not girly enough to pull off the stuff I like to wear.”

“I think you’re pretty! Your strength is an admirable trait, and I like the way it makes your body look! You shouldn’t worry about that! You look healthy and pretty, so you shouldn’t worry about how you look in your seifuku uniform thing and those type of dresses! Now come on, do you wanna play beach volleyball with Feli and Lidelle after a nice swim?”

“Yeah, that sounds nice, sweetie.”

Raffina reached her arm around Amitie’s waist and pulled her into a kiss. Amitie seemed shocked, but she happily went along with it. Sig walked away and went back with Klug to go catch crabs. He probably didn’t want to be around them in that moment. Amitie held Raffina lovingly while they kissed. Raffina felt the stress in her body from her own hate dissipate while touching lips with Amitie. She felt like she was on cloud nine for a moment, just the two of them kissing without her needing to worry about her appearance. She could get used to even more of this in her life.

Lemres pulled Raffina by the shoulder. Raffina knew exactly why: Lemres made a point to keep things clean, which was annoying. She noticed Lemres had finally changed into plain green swim trunks with no shirt on, presumably causing Feli and Klug to have lovestruck panics.

“Now kids, you shouldn’t be kissing like that in public,” Lemres reminded.

“I know, PDA is your worst enemy for whatever reason,” Raffina commented. “I guess I will just have to go play with Amitie and the others in volleyball.”

Raffina and Amitie went to go play volleyball with the others. Raffina’s team won most of the matches while Lemres, Klug, and Tarutaru watched. Tarutaru watched a little too intensely for Raffina’s taste, especially when she had to jump up to hit the ball that flew up. Amitie actually told him off for staring at Raffina, which was surprising for Raffina. Klug and Lemres exchanged some casual banter, making Feli distracted and jealous throughout the matches. Klug and Feli almost got into a fight over Lemres, had Ms. Accord not stepped in and stopped it. After all those shenanigans, Amitie and Raffina splashed each other in the warm water under the bright summer sun. The day flew by without the weight of Raffina’s own dislike of her body over her head. Amitie liked the way she looked, and to her, that’s pretty much all that mattered. Everyone else had their fair share of fun despite Klug and Feli refusing to leave Lemres alone. 

The day eventually turned to sunset. Lemres and Ms, Accord sat on a picnic blanket with a large cake sitting in front of them. Lemres brought cake when he came to the beach. Raffina leaned over at stuck her plastic fork into the slice of cake sitting on a plate in Amitie’s lap. The beautiful sunset was pleasant to look at while Raffina bit into Amitie’s cake. She had to watch her calorie intake, but a little cake made sweeter by sharing it with her girlfriend was fine to let slip for once. Amitie smiled when she saw Raffina enjoying the cake and stroked her hair. Klug and Sig ate cake next to each other while they gazed at the vibrant hues of the sunset. Everyone was relaxed by the peaceful sunset.

While everyone was enjoying Lemres’ fantastic cake, Otomo hurried to Lemres. Ms. Accord nudged Lemres in the shoulder. Lemres stepped aside and cast a transformation spell on Ocean Prince. He became a small human boy again. The child groaned and complained while Otomo dragged him back to the castle. Ms. Accord probably planned to reschedule the meeting for another time where the transformation would be no concern. It wasn’t long after dealing with Salde that everyone finished their cake.

Raffina held Amitie’s hand while they walked back to the carriage meant to pick them up. How exactly Ms. Accord managed to reschedule for dusk while so far away from the service was beyond Raffina. When Raffina sat down in the carriage next to Amitie, Amitie fell asleep on her shoulder. She kissed her sleeping girlfriend on the forehead while the carriage started off towards Primp Town. Lemres asked for everyone’s drop off point, and Raffina explained how she and Amitie generally headed back home from the same stop. Sig said how he wanted to be dropped off in the Woods of Nahe. Lemres scratched his head at that and nodded. Raffina relaxed while looking out at the constellations of the massive night sky. She yawned after a long day of play and emotion. She leaned her head on Amitie’s and closed her eyes, falling asleep to the strangely soothing sound of the horses' hooves on the pavement.


End file.
